phenomenology of mind-第13部分
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Testing life carefully at all points; philosophizing about everything it came across; the former
created an experience permeated through and through by universals。 In modem times; however;
an individual finds the abstract form ready made。 In straining to grasp it and make it his own; he
rather strives to bring forward the inner meaning alone; without any process of mediation; the
production of the universal is abridged; instead of the universal arising out of the manifold detail of
concrete existence。 Hence nowadays the task before us consists not so much in getting the
individual clear of the stage of sensuous immediacy; and making him a substance that thinks and is
grasped in terms of thought; but rather the very opposite: it consists in actualizing the universal; and
giving it spiritual vitality; by the process of breaking down and superseding fixed and determinate
thoughts。 But it is much more difficult to make fixed and definite thoughts fuse with one another
and form a continuous whole than to bring sensuous existence into this state。 The reason lies in
what was said before。 Thought determinations get their substance and the element of their
existence from the ego; the power of the negative; or pure reality; while determinations of sense
find this in impotent abstract immediacy; in mere being as such。 Thoughts become fluent and
interfuse; when thinking pure and simple; this inner immediacy; knows itself as a moment; when
pure certainty of self abstracts from itself。 It does not 〃abstract〃 in the sense of getting away from
itself and setting itself on one side; but of surrendering the fixed quality of its self…affirmation; and
giving up both the fixity of the purely concrete…which is the ego as contrasted with the variety of its
content…and the fixity of all those distinctions 'the various thought…functions; principles; etc。' which
are present in the element of pure thought and share that absoluteness of the ego。 In virtue of this
process pure thoughts become notions; concepts; and are then what they are in truth; self…moving
functions; circles; are what their substance consists in; are spiritual entities。
This movement of the spiritual entities constitutes the nature of scientific procedure in general。
Looked at as the concatenation of their content; this movement is the necessitated development
and expansion of that content into an organic systematic whole。 By this movement; too; the road;
which leads to the notion of knowledge; becomes itself likewise a necessary and complete
evolving process (Werden)。 This preparatory stage thus ceases to consist of casual philosophical
reflections; referring to objects here and there; to processes and thoughts of the undeveloped mind
as chance may direct; and it does not try to establish the truth by miscellaneous ratiocinations;
inferences; and consequences drawn from circumscribed thoughts。 The road to science; by the
very movement of the notion itself; will compass the entire objective world of conscious life in its
rational necessity。
Further; a systematic exposition like this constitutes the first part of science; because the positive
existence of mind; qua primary and ultimate; is nothing but the immediate aspect of mind; the
beginning; the beginning; but not yet its return to itself。 The characteristic feature distinguishing this
part of science 'Phenomenology' from the others is the element of positive immediate existence。
The mention of this distinction leads us to discuss certain established ideas that usually come to
notice in this connexion。
The mind's immediate existence; conscious life; has two aspects — cognition and objectivity which
is opposed to or negative of the subjective function of knowing。 Since it is in the medium of
consciousness that mind is developed and brings out its various moments; this opposition between
the factors of conscious life is found at each stage in the evolution of mind; and all the various
moments appear as modes or forms (Gestalten) of consciousness。 The scientific statement of the
course of this development is a science of the experience through which consciousness passes; the
substance and its process are considered as the object of consciousness。 Consciousness knows
and comprehends nothing but what falls within its experience; for what is found in experience is
merely spiritual substance; and; moreover; object of its self。 Mind; however; becomes object; for
it consists in the process of becoming an other to itself; i。e。 an object for its own self; and in
transcending this otherness。 And experience is called this very process by which the element that is
immediate; unexperienced; i。e。 abstract…whether it be in the form of sense or of a bare thought —
externalizes itself; and then comes back to itself from this state of estrangement; and by so doing is
at length set forth in its concrete nature and real truth; and becomes too a possession of
consciousness。
The dissimilarity which obtains in consciousness between the ego and the substance constituting its
object; is their inner distinction; the factor of negativity in general。 We may regard it as the defect
of both opposites; but it is their very soul; their moving spirit。 It was on this account that certain
thinkers long ago took the void to be the principle of movement; when they conceived the moving
principle to be the negative element; though they had not as yet thought of it as self。 While this
negative factor appears in the first instance as a dissimilarity; as an inequality; between ego and
object; it is just as much the inequality of the substance with itself。 What seems to take place
outside it; to be an activity directed against it; is its own doing; its own activity; and substance
shows that it is in reality subject。 When it has brought out this completely; mind has made its
existence adequate to and one with its essential nature。 Mind is object to itself just as it is; and the
abstract element of immediacy; of the separation between knowing and the truth; is overcome。
Being is entirely mediated; it is a substantial content; that is likewise directly in the possession of
the ego; has the character of self; is notion。 With the attainment of this the Phenomenology of Mind
concludes。 What mind prepares for itself in the course of its phenomenology is the element of true
knowledge。 In this element the moments of mind are now set out in the form of thought pure and
simple; which knows its object to be itself。 They no longer involve the opposition between being
and knowing; they remain within the undivided simplicity of the knowing function; they are the truth
in the form of truth; and their diversity is merely diversity of the content of truth。 The process by
which they are developed into an organically connected whole is Logic or Speculative Philosophy。
11。 In what way the Phenomenology of the Spirit is negative or contains what is
false
Now; because the systematic statement of the mind's experience embraces merely its ways of
appearing; it may well seem that the advance from that to the science of ultimate truth in the form
of truth is merely negative; and we might readily be content to dispense with the negative process
as something altogether false; and might ask to be taken straight to the truth at once: why meddle
with what is false at all? The point formerly raised; that we should have begun with science at
once; may be answered here by considering the character of negativity in general regarded as
something false。 The usual ideas on this subject particularly obstruct the approach to the truth。 The
consideration of this point will give us an opportunity to speak about mathematical knowledge;
which non…philosophical knowledge looks upon as the ideal which philosophy ought to try to
attain; but has so far striven in vain to reach。
Truth and falsehood as commonly understood belong to those sharply defined ideas which claim a
completely fixed nature of their own; one standing in solid isolation on this side; the other on that;
without any community between them。 Against that view it must be pointed out; that truth is not
like stamped coin that is issued ready from the mint and so can be taken up and used。 Nor; again;
is there something false; any more than there is something evil。 Evil and falsehood are indeed not
so bad as the devil; for in the form of the devil they get the length of being particular subjects; qua
false and evil they are merely universals; though they have a nature of their own with reference to
one another。 Falsity (that is what we are dealing with here) would be otherness; the negative
aspect of the substance; which 'substance'; qua content of knowledge; is truth。 But the substance
is itself essentially the negative element; partly as involving distinction and determination of content;
partly as being a process of distinguishing pure and simple; i。e。 as being self and knowledge in
general。 Doubtless we can know in a way that is false。 To know something falsely means that
knowledge is not adequate to; is not on equal terms with; its substance。 Yet this very dissimilarity
is the process of distinction in general; the essential moment in knowing。 It is; in fact; out of this
active distinction that its harmonious unity arises; and this identity; when arrived at; is truth。 But it is
not truth in a sense which would involve the rejection of the discordance; the diversity; like dross
from pure metal; nor; again; does truth remain detached from diversity; like a finished article from
the instrument that shapes it。 Difference itself continues to be an immediate element within truth as
such; in the form of the principle of negation; in the form of the activity of Self。 All the same; we
cannot for that reason say that falsehood is a moment or forms even a constituent part of truth。
That 〃in every case of falsity there is something true〃 is an expression in which they are taken to be
like oil and water; which do not mix and are merely united externally。 Just in the interest of their
real meaning; precisely because we want to designate the aspect or moment of complete
otherness; the terms true and false must no longer be used