phenomenology of mind-第141节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


merely　one　that　is　ideally　imagined。　The　hero　is　himself　the　spokesman；　and　the　representation
given　brings　before　the　audience　—　who　are　also　spectators　…　self…conscious　human　beings；　who
know　their　own　rights　and　purposes；　the　power　and　the　will　belonging　to　their　specific　nature；　and
who　know　how　to　state　them。　They　are　artists　who　do　not　express　with　unconscious　na？veté　and
naturalness　the　merely　external　aspect　of　what　they　begin　and　what　they　decide　upon；　as　is　the
case　in　the　language　accompanying　ordinary　action　in　actual　life；　they　make　the　very　inner　being
external；　they　prove　the　righteousness　of　their　action；　and　the　〃pathos〃　controlling　them　is　soberly
asserted　and　definitely　expressed　in　its　universal　individuality；　free　from　all　accident　of
circumstance　and　the　particular　peculiarities　of　personalities。　Lastly；　it　is　in　actual　human　beings　that
these　characters　get　existence；　human　beings　who　impersonate　the　heroes；　and　represent　them　in
actual　speech；　not　in　the　form　of　a　narrative；　but　speaking　in　their　own　person。　Just　as　it　is　essential
for　a　statue　to　be　made　by　human　hands；　so　is　the　actor　essential　to　his　mask　—　not　as　an　external
condition；　from　which；　artistically　considered；　we　have　to　abstract；　or　so　far　as　abstraction　must
certainly　be　made；　we　thereby　state　just　that　art　does　not　yet　contain　in　it　the　true　and　proper　self。

The　general　ground；　on　which　the　movement　of　these　shapes　produced　from　the　notion　takes
place；　is　the　consciousness　expressed　in　the　imaginative　language　of　the　Epic；　where　the　detail　of
the　content　is　loosely　spread　out　with　no　unifying　self。　It　is　the　commonalty　in　general；　whose
wisdom　finds　utterance　in　the　Chorus　of　the　Elders；　in　the　powerlessness　of　this　chorus　the
generality　finds　its　representative；　because　the　common　people　itself　compose　merely　the　positive
and　passive　material　for　the　individuality　of　the　government　confronting　it。　Lacking　the　power　to
negate　and　oppose；　it　is　unable　to　hold　together　and　keep　within　bounds　the　riches　and　varied
fullness　of　divine　life；　it　allows　each　individual　moment　to　go　off　its　own　way；　and　in　its　hymns　of
honour　and　reverence　praises　each　individual　moment　as　an　independent　god；　now　this　god　and
now　again　another。　Where；　however；　it　detects　the　seriousness　of　the　notion；　and　perceives　how
the　notion　marches　onward　shattering　these　forms　as　it　goes　along；　and　where　it　comes　to　see　how
badly　its　praised　and　honoured　gods　come　off　when　they　venture　on　the　ground　where　the　notion
holds　sway；　—　there　it　is　not　itself　the　negative　power　interfering　by　action；　but　keeps　itself　within
the　abstract　selfless　thought　of　such　power；　confines　itself　to　the　consciousness　of　alien　and
external　destiny；　and　produces　the　empty　wish　to　tranquillize；　and　feeble　ineffective　talk　intended
to　appease。　In　its　terror　before　the　higher　powers；　which　are　the　immediate　arms　of　the　substance；
in　its　terror　before　their　struggle　with　one　another；　and　before　the　simple　self　of　that　necessity；
which　crushes　them　as　well　as　the　living　beings　bound　up　with　them；　in　its　compassion　for　these
living　beings；　whom　it　knows　at　once　to　be　the　same　with　itself　—　it　is　conscious　of　nothing　but
ineffective　horror　of　this　whole　process；　conscious　of　equally　helpless　pity；　and；　as　the　end　of　all；
the　mere　empty　peace　of　resignation　to　necessity；　whose　work　is　apprehended　neither　as　the
necessary　act　of　the　character；　nor　as　the　action　of　the　absolute　Being　within　itself。

Spirit　does　not　appear　in　its　dissociated　multiplicity　on　the　plane　of　this　onlooking　consciousness
＇the　chorus＇；　the　indifferent　ground；　as　it　were；　on　which　the　presentation　takes　place；　it　comes　on
the　scene　in　the　simple　diremption　of　the　notion。　Its　substance　manifests　itself；　therefore；　merely
torn　asunder　into　its　two　extreme　powers。　These　elementary　universal　beings　are；　at　the　same　time；
self…conscious　individualities　—　heroes　who　put　their　conscious　life　into　one　of　these　powers；　find
therein　determinateness　of　character；　and　constitute　the　effective　activity　and　reality　of　these
powers。　This　universal　individualization　descends　again；　as　will　be　remembered；　to　the　immediate
reality　of　existence　proper；　and　is　presented　before　a　crowd　of　spectators；　who　find　in　the　chorus
their　image　and　counterpart；　or　rather　their　own　thought　giving　itself　expression。

The　content　and　movement　of　the　spirit；　which　is；　object　to　itself　here；　have　been　already
considered　as　the　nature　and　realization　of　the　substance　of　ethical　life。　In　its　form　of　religion　spirit
attains　to　consciousness　about　itself；　or　reveals　itself　to　its　consciousness　in　its　purer　form　and　its
simpler　mode　of　embodiment。　If；　then；　the　ethical　substance　by　its　very　principle　broke　up；　as
regards　its　content；　into　two　powers　—　which　were　defined　as　divine　and　human　law；　law　of　the
nether　world　and　law　of　the　upper　world；　the　one　the　family；　the　other　state　sovereignty；　the　first
bearing　the　impress　and　character　of　woman；　the　other　that　of　man　—　in　the　same　way；　the
previously　multiform　circle　of　gods；　with　its　wavering　and　unsteady　characteristics；　confines　itself　to
these　powers；　which　owing　to　this　feature　are　brought　closer　to　individuality　proper。　For　the
previous　dispersion　of　the　whole　into　manifold　abstract　forces；　which　appear　hypostatized；　is　the
dissolution　of　the　subject　which　comprehends　them　merely　as　moments　in　its　self；　and　individuality
is　therefore　only　the　superficial　form　of　these　entities。　Conversely；　a　further　distinction　of　characters
than　that　just　named　is　to　be　reckoned　as　contingent　and　inherently　external　personality。

At　the　same　time；　the　essential　nature　＇in　the　case　of　ethical　substance＇　gets　divided　in　its　form；　i。e。
with　respect　to　knowledge。　Spirit　when　acting；　appears；　qua　consciousness；　over　against　the
object　on　which　its　activity　is　directed；　and　which；　in　consequence；　is　determined　as　the　negative　of
the　knowing　agent。　The　agent　finds　himself　thereby　in　the　opposition　of　knowing　and　not　knowing。
He　takes　his　purpose　from　his　own　character；　and　knows　it　to　be　essential　ethical　fact；　but　owing
to　the　determinateness　of　his　character；　he　knows　merely　the　one　power　of　substance；　the　other
remains　for　him　concealed　and　out　of　sight。　The　present　reality；　therefore；　is　one　thing　in　itself；　and
another　for　consciousness。　The　higher　and　lower　right　come　to　signify　in　this　connexion　the　power
that　knows　and　reveals　itself　to　consciousness；　and　the　power　concealing　itself　and　lurking　in　the
background。　The　one　is　the　aspect　of　light；　the　god　of　the　Oracle；　who　as　regards　its　natural
aspect　＇Light＇　has　sprung　from　the　all…illuminating　Sun；　knows　all　and　reveals　all；　Ph？bus　and　Zeus；
who　is　his　Father。　But　the　commands　of　this　truth…speaking　god；　and　his　proclamations　of　what　is；
are　really　deceptive　and　fallacious。　For　this　knowledge　is；　in　its　very　principle；　directly　not
knowledge；　because　consciousness　in　acting　is　inherently　this　opposition。　He；（4）　who　had　the
power　to　unlock　the　riddle　of　the　sphinx；　and　he　too　who　trusted　with　childlike　confidence；（5）　are；
therefore；　both　sent　to　destruction　through　what　the　god　reveals　to　them。　The　priestess；　through
whose　mouth　the　beautiful　god　speaks；（6）　is　in　nothing　different　from　the　equivocal　sisters　of　fate；（7）
who　drive　their　victim　to　crime　by　their　promises；　and　who；　by　the　double…tongued；　equivocal
character　of　what　they　gave　out　as　a　certainty；　deceive　the　King　when　he　relies　upon　the　manifest
and　obvious　meaning　of　what　they　say。　There　is　a　type　of　consciousness　that　is　purer　than　the
latter（8）　which　believes　in　witches；　and　more　sober；　more　thorough；　and　more　solid　than　the　former
which　puts　its　trust　in　the　priestess　and　the　beautiful　god。　This　type　of　consciousness；（9）　therefore；
lets　his　revenge　tarry　for　the　revelation　which　the　spirit　of　his　father　makes　regarding　the　crime　that
did　him　to　death；　and　institutes　other　proofs　in　addition　—　for　the　reason　that　the　spirit　giving　the
revelation　might　possibly　be　the　devil。

This　mistrust　has　good　grounds；　because　the　knowing　consciousness　takes　its　stand　on　the
opposition　between　certainty　of　itself　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　objective　essential　reality　on　the
other。　Ethical　rightness；　which　insists　that　actuality　is　nothing　per　se　in　opposition　to　absolute　law；
finds　out　that　its　knowledge　is　onesided；　its　law　merely　a　law　of　its　own　character；　and　that　it　has
laid　hold　of　merely　one　of　the　powers　of　the　substance。　The　act　itself　is　this　inversion　of　what　is
known　into　its　opposite；　into　objective　existence；　turns　round　what　is　right　from　the　point　of　view
of　character　and　knowledge　into　the　right　of　the　very　opposite　with　which　the　former　is　bound　up
in　the　essential　nature　of　the　substance　—　turns　it　into　the　〃Furies〃　who　embody　the　right　of　the
other　power　and　character　awakened　into　hostility。　The　lower　right　sits　with　Zeus　enthroned；　and
enjoys　equal　respect　and　homage　with　the　god　revealed　and　knowing。

To　these　three　supernatural　Beings　the　world　of　the　gods　of　the　chorus　is　limited　and　restricted　by
the　acting　individuality。　The　one　is　the　substance；　the　power　presiding　over　the　hearth　and　home
and　the　sp