science of logic-第55节
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the Idea has not completely leavened its reality; has imperfectly subdued it to the Notion; this is a
possibility arising from the fact that the Idea itself has a restricted content; that though it is
essentially the unity of Notion and reality; it is no less essentially their difference; for only the object
is their immediate; that is; merely implicit unity。 But if an object; for example the state; did not
correspond at all to its Idea; that is; if in fact it was not the Idea of the state at all; if its reality;
which is the self…conscious individuals; did not correspond at all to the Notion; its soul and its
body would have parted; the former would escape into the solitary regions of thought; the latter
would have broken up into the single individualities。
But because the Notion of the state so essentially constitutes the nature of these individualities; it is
present in them as an urge so powerful that they are impelled to translate it into reality; be it only in
the form of external purposiveness; or to put up with it as it is; or else they must needs perish。 The
worst state; one whose reality least corresponds to the Notion; in so far as it still exists; is still
Idea; the individuals still obey a dominant Notion 。
However; the Idea has not merely the more general meaning of the true being; of the unity of
Notion and reality; but the more specific one of the unity of subjective Notion and objectivity。
That is to say; the Notion as such is itself already the identity of itself and reality; for the indefinite
expression 'reality' means in general nothing else but determinate being; and this the Notion
possesses in its particularity and individuality。 Similarly too; objectivity is the total Notion that out
of its determinateness has withdrawn into identity with itself。 In the former subjectivity the
determinateness or difference of the Notion is an illusory being 'semblance' that is immediately
sublated and has withdrawn into being…for…self or negative unity; it is an inhering predicate。 But in
this objectivity the determinateness is posited as an immediate totality; as an external whole。 Now
the Idea has shown itself to be the Notion liberated again into its subjectivity from the immediacy
in which it is submerged in the object; to he the Notion that distinguishes itself from its objectivity;
which however is no less determined by it and possesses its substantiality only in that Notion。 'This
identity has therefore rightly been defined as the subject…object; for it is as well the formal or
subjective Notion as it is the object as such。 But this must be understood more precisely。 The
Notion; having truly attained its reality; is this absolute judgement whose subject; as self…related
negative unity; distinguishes itself from its objectivity and is the latter's being…in…and…for…self; but
essentially relates itself to it through itself; it is therefore its own end and the urge to realise it; but
for this very reason the subject does not possess objectivity in an immediate manner; for if it did it
would be merely the totality of the object as such lost in objectivity; on the contrary; objectivity is
the realisation of the end; an objectivity posited by the activity of the end; an objectivity which; as
positedness; possesses its subsistence and its form only as permeated by its subject。 As
objectivity; it has in it the moment of the externality of the Notion and is therefore in general the
side of finitude; change and Appearance; a side; however; which meets with extinction in its
retraction into the negative unity of the Notion; the negativity whereby its indifferent mutual
externality exhibits itself as unessential and a positivity; is the Notion itself。
The Idea is; therefore; in spite of this objectivity utterly simple and immaterial; for the externality
exists only as determined by the Notion and as taken up into its negative unity; in so far as it exists
as indifferent externality it is not merely at the mercy of mechanism in general but exists only as the
transitory and untrue。 Although therefore the Idea has its reality in a material externality; this is not
an abstract being subsisting on its own account over against the Notion; on the contrary; it exists
only as a becoming through the negativity of indifferent being; as a simple determinateness of the
Notion。
This yields the following more precise definitions of the Idea。 First; it is the simple truth; the identity
of the Notion and objectivity as a universal in which the opposition and subsistence of the
particular is dissolved into its self…identical negativity and is equality with itself。 Secondly; it is the
relation of the explicit subjectivity of the simple Notion and its objectivity which is distinguished
therefrom; the former is essentially the urge to sublate this separation; and the latter is the
indifferent positedness; the subsistence that is in and for itself null。 As this relation; the Idea is the
process of sundering itself into individuality and its inorganic nature; and again of bringing this
inorganic nature under the power of the subject and returning to the first simple universality。 The
identity of the Idea with itself is one with the process; the thought which liberates actuality from
the illusory show of purposeless mutability and transfigures it into the Idea must not represent this
truth of actuality as a dead repose; as a mere picture; lifeless; without impulse or movement; as a
genius or number; or an abstract thought; by virtue of the freedom which the Notion attains in the
Idea; the Idea possesses within itself also the most stubborn opposition; its repose consists in the
security and certainty with which it eternally creates and eternally overcomes that opposition; in it
meeting with itself。
In the first instance; however; the Idea is once again only immediate or only in its Notion;
objective reality is; it is true; conformable to the Notion; but it is not yet liberated into the Notion;
and the latter does not exist explicitly for itself as Notion。
Thus though the Notion is soul; it is soul in the guise of an immediate; that is; its determinateness
does not appear as soul itself; it has not grasped itself as soul; it does not possess its objective
reality within itself; the Notion is as a soul that is not yet fully a soul。
At this first stage the Idea is Life: the Notion that; distinguished from its objectivity; simple within
itself; pervades its objectivity and; as its own end; possesses its means in the objectivity and posits
the latter as its means; yet is immanent in this means and is therein the realised end that is identical
with itself。 This Idea; on account of its immediacy; has individuality for the form of its existence。
But the reflection…into…self of its absolute process is the sublating of this immediate individuality;
thereby the Notion which; as universality in this individuality; is the inwardness of the latter;
converts the externality into universality; or posits its objectivity as being the same as itself。
In this second stage; the Idea is the Idea of the true and the good as cognition and volition。 In
the first instance; it is finite cognition and finite volition; in which the true and the good are still
distinguished and each appears as yet only as a goal。 The Notion has; in the first instance;
liberated itself into itself and as yet given itself only an abstract objectivity for its reality。 But the
process of this finite cognition and action converts the initially abstract universality into a totality;
whereby it becomes a complete objectivity。 Or; to consider it from the other side; finite; that is;
subjective spirit; makes for itself the presupposition of an objective world; just as life has such a
presupposition; but its activity consists in sublating this presupposition and converting it into a
positedness。 In this way its reality is for it the objective world; or conversely; the objective world
is the ideality in which it cognises itself。
Thirdly; spirit cognises the Idea as its absolute truth; as the truth that is in and for itself; the infinite
Idea in which cognition and action are equalised; and which is the absolute knowledge of itself。
Chapter 1 Life
The Idea of Life is concerned with a subject matter so concrete; and if you will; so real; that with it
we may seem to have overstepped the domain of logic as it is commonly conceived。 Certainly; if
logic were to contain nothing but empty; dead forms of thought; there could be no mention init at
all of such a content as the Idea of Life。 But if absolute truth is the subject matter of logic; and
truth as such is essentially in cognition; then cognition at least would have to be discussed。 So
called pure logic is usually followed up with an applied logic … a logic dealing with concrete
cognition; not to mention the mass of psychology and anthropology that it is often deemed
necessary to interpolate into logic。 But the anthropological and psychological side of cognition is
concerned with its manifested aspect; in which the Notion on its own account has not yet come
to have an objectivity the same as itself; that is; to have itself for object。 The part o