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determination rests the difference between what the Notion is in itself or as subjective and what
it is when submerged in objectivity; and then in the Idea of life。 

In the latter it is indeed distinguished from its external reality and posited for itself; yet this its
being…for…self it possesses only as the identity that is a relation to itself as submerged in its
subjugated objectivity; or to itself as indwelling; substantial form。 The elevation of the Notion
above life means that its reality is the Notion form liberated into universality。 Through this
judgement the Idea is duplicated into the subjective Notion whose reality is the Notion itself; and
into the objective Notion that is in the form of life。 Thinking; spirit; self…consciousness; are
determinations of the Idea where it has itself for object; and its determinate being; that is; the
determinateness of its being; is its own difference from itself。 

The metaphysics of the spirit; or; as it was more commonly expressed; of the soul revolved
round the determinations of substance; simplicity; immateriality … determinations in which the
general idea of spirit taken from empirical consciousness; was laid down as subject; and it was
then asked; What predicates agree with our observations? This kind of procedure could get no
further than the procedure of physics; which reduces the world of phenomena to general laws and
reflective determinations since it too was based on spirit merely in its phenomenal aspect; in fact
this procedure was bound to fall short even of the scientific character of physics。 

Since spirit is not only infinitely richer than nature; but also; its essence is constituted by the
absolute unity of opposites in the Notion; it exhibits in its phenomenal aspect and relation to
externality contradiction in its extreme form。 Consequently; it must be possible to adduce an
experience in support of each of the opposed reflective determinations; or starting from experience
it must be possible to arrive at opposite determinations by way of formal syllogistic reasoning。 

Since the predicates immediately yielded by spirit's phenomenal aspect in the first instance still
belong to empirical Psychology; there only remain; strictly speaking; for the metaphysical
consideration; the wholly inadequate determinations of reflection。 Kant; in his criticism of rational
psychology adheres to this metaphysics; insisting that; in so far as rational psychology purports to
be a rational science; the smallest addition from observation to the general idea of
selfconsciousness would transform that science into an empirical one and mar its rational purity
and its independence of all experience。 Consequently; on this view; nothing is left but the simple
representation; 'I'; a representation devoid of any content of its own; of which we cannot even say
that it is a notion but a mere consciousness that accompanies every notion。 Now according to
the further Kantian conclusions; by this 'I'; or if you like; it (the thing) that thinks; nothing further is
represented than a transcendental subject of thoughts = x; which is cognised only through the
thoughts which are its predicates; and of which; taken in its isolation; we can never have the least
conception。 In this context; the 'I' has the inconvenience; to use Kant's own expression that we
must already make use of it whenever we want make any judgement about it; for it is not so
much a single representation by which a particular object is distinguished; but rather a form of
representation in general in so far as this is to be called cognition。 Now the paralogism committed
by rational psychology; says Kant; consists in this; that modes of self…consciousness in thinking are
converted into notions of the understanding as applied to an object; that the 'I think' is taken as
a thinking being; a thing…in…itself; and that in this way; from the fact that I always occur in
consciousness as a subject; and that too as a singular subject; identical in all the multiplicity of
representation; and distinguishing myself from the latter as from something external to me; the
unjustified inference is drawn that the 'I' is a substance; and further a qualitatively simple being;
and a one; and something that has a real existence independently of the things of time and space。 

I have drawn out this exposition in some detail; because it shows clearly the nature of the previous
metaphysics of the soul and especially; too; the nature of the criticism by which it was made
obsolete。 The former aimed at determining the abstract essence of the soul; in doing so; it started
originally from observation and converted the empirical universality of observation and the wholly
external reflective determination attaching to the individuality of the actual; into the form of the
above…mentioned determinations of essence。 Kant in his criticism had generally in mind only the
state of the metaphysics of his time; which in the main adhered to these abstract; one…sided
determinations wholly devoid of dialectic; the genuinely speculative ideas of older philosophers on
the notion of spirit he neither heeded nor examined。 In his criticism then of those determinations; he
followed quite simply Hume's style of scepticism; that is to say; he holds fast to the 'I' as it appears
in self…consciousness; from which; however; since it is its essence … the thing…in…itself … that we are
to cognise; … everything empirical must be omitted; nothing then is left but this phenomenon of the
'I think' that accompanies every representation … of which 'I think' we have not the slightest
conception。 

Certainly; it must be conceded that we have not the least conception the 'I'; or of anything
whatever; not even of the Notion itself; so long as we do not really think; but stop short at the
simple; fixed general idea and the name。 It is an odd thought … if it can be called a thought at all …
that I must already make use of the 'I' in order to judge of the 'l'; the 'I' that makes use of
selfconsciousness as a means in order to judge; this is indeed an x of which; as well as of the
relationship of such 'making use'; we cannot have the slightest conception。 But surely it is ridiculous
to call this nature of self…consciousness; namely; that the 'I' thinks itself; that the 'I' cannot be
thought without its being the 'I' that thinks; an inconvenience and; as though there was a fallacy in
it; a circle。 It is this relationship through which; in immediate self…consciousness; the absolute;
eternal nature of self…consciousness and the Notion itself manifests itself; and manifests itself for
this reason; that selfconsciousness is just the existent pure Notion; and therefore empirically
perceptible; the absolute relation…to…self that; as a separating judgement; makes itself its own
object and is solely this process whereby it makes itself a circle。 

A stone does not have this inconvenience; when it is to be thought or judged it does not stand in
its own way。 It is relieved from the burden of making use of itself for this task; it is something else
outside it that must give itself this trouble。 

Kant's Critique of Rational Psychology

A The Idea of the True

The subjective Idea is in the first instance an urge。 For it is the contradiction of the Notion to have
itself for object and to be its own reality; yet without the object being an other; that is;
self…subsistent over against it; or without the difference of the Notion from itself possessing at the
same time the essential determination of diversity and indifferent existence。 The specific nature of
this urge is therefore to sublate its own subjectivity; to make its first; abstract reality into a concrete
one and to fill it with the content of the world presupposed by its subjectivity。 

From the other side; this urge is determined in the following manner: the Notion is; it is true; the
absolute certainty of itself; but its being…for…self is confronted by its presupposition of a world
having the form of implicit being; but a world whose indifferent otherness has for the
self…certainty of the Notion the value merely of an unessentiality; it is thus the urge to sublate this
otherness and to intuit in the object its identity with itself。 This reflection…into self is the sublated
opposition; and the individuality which initially appears as the presupposed implicit being of a
world is now posited as individuality and made actual for the subject; accordingly the
reflection…into…self is the self…identity of the form restored out of the opposition … an identity that is
therefore determined as indifferent to the form in its distinctiveness and is content。 

This urge is therefore the urge to truth in so far as truth is in cognition; accordingly to truth in its
proper sense as theoretical Idea。 Objective truth is no doubt the Idea itself as the reality that
corresponds to the Notion; and to this extent an object may or may not possess truth; but; on the
other hand; the more precise meaning of truth is that it is truth for or in the subjective Notion; in
knowing。 It is the relation of the Notion judgement which showed itself to be the formal
judgement of truth; in it; namely; the pr

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