So, two babies are left marooned at opposite ends of a large uninhabited island. They somehow manage to survive infancy and both grow up, in isolation from one another, to adolescence. At this point neither can speak, having never heard language, neither can really think in any conscious way, and both are indistinguishable from feral beasts.
At this point, they finally meet. Having human brains, each is able to recognise the fact that the other is a similar being to them, that must have a similar subjective experience of the world. Thus, consciousness begins to develop in them both as they reflect on one another.
The confusion arising from this experience generates fear in each of them towards the other. This fear gives way and a mighty struggle ensues between the two of them. Each has had a slightly different set of experiences on the island up to this point and, as such, one of them has a slightly lessened fear of death than the other. The one who fears death more, is the first one to back away from the fight. When this happens, the fight is resolved in favour of the one with less fear. He realises that the other fears him more than he fears the other. He takes advantage of this fear and begins to dominate the other.
He has become the Master, the other the Slave.
The Master begins to order the Slave around, making the Slave do everything for him, allowing him, the Master, to live the easier life. The interaction between the two of them builds the consciousness of both, they both begin to think more clearly, they both begin to communicate with one another in a common language and they both begin to behave in a more civilised manner.
But it is the work of the Slave that defines their civilisation. The Master does very little all day, merely enjoying the benefits of the work that the Slave has done. Eventually, both of them begin to contemplate their surroundings differently. The Slave sees their civilisation as being made up of all of his own work. He sees himself in each of these works, their society is a reflection of himself. The Master sees their civilisation only as works of the Slave. There is nothing of himself there. The Slave has become a master craftsman, he knows more about everything in their civilisation, as he was the one who made everything. The Master knows very little about anything, in fact, his survival in their civilisation relies entirely on the work of the Slave.
The Slave was merely the Slave of the dominance of the Master. But the Master has now become a slave of the labour of the Slave. The Slave does not need the Master, but the Master needs the Slave. To live in harmony, the Slave must educate the Master and the Master must give the Slave his freedom. Then they can both live together as equals in labour and equals in knowledge. Then their civilisation can advance leaps and bounds until each of them has perfected themselves and become Gods.
This is the Master/Slave dialectic of Hegel.
This is the story of our world.
How shall we end it?
Omega Synthesis 