贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > phenomenology of mind >

第15章

phenomenology of mind-第15章

小说: phenomenology of mind 字数: 每页4000字

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!



mind (Bildung); regarded from the side of the individual; consists in his acquiring what lies at his
hand ready for him; in making its inorganic nature organic to himself; and taking possession of it for
himself。 Looked at; however; from the side of universal mind qua general spiritual substance;
culture means nothing else than that this substance gives itself its own self…consciousness; brings
about its own inherent process and its own reflection into self。 

Science lays before us the morphogenetic process of this cultural development in all its detailed
fullness and necessity; and at the same time shows it to be something that has already sunk into the
mind as a moment of its being and become a possession of mind。 The goal to be reached is the
mind's insight into what knowing is。 Impatience asks for the impossible; wants to reach the goal
without the means of getting there。 The length of the journey has to be borne with; for every
moment is necessary; and again we must halt at every stage; for each is itself a complete individual
form; and is fully and finally considered only so far as its determinate character is taken and dealt
with as a rounded and concrete whole; or only so far as the whole is looked at in the light of the
special and peculiar character which this determination gives it。 Because the substance of
individual mind; nay; more; because the universal mind at work in the world (Weltgeist); has had
the patience to go through these forms in the long stretch of time's extent; and to take upon itself
the prodigious labour of the world's history; where it bodied forth in each form the entire content
of itself; as each is capable of presenting it; and because by nothing less could that all…pervading
mind ever manage to become conscious of what itself is…for that reason; the individual mind; in the
nature of the case; cannot expect by less toil to grasp what its own substance contains。 All the
same; its task has meanwhile been made much lighter; because this has historically been implicitly
(an sich) accomplished; the content is one where reality is already cancelled for spiritual
possibilities; where immediacy has been overcome and brought under the control of reflection; the
various forms and shapes have been already reduced to their intellectual abbreviations; to
determinations of thought (Gedankenbestimmung) pure and simple。 Being now a thought; the
content is the property of the substance of mind; existence has no more to be changed into the
form of what is inherent and implicit (Ansichseins); but only the implicit…no longer merely
something primitive; nor lying hidden within existence; but already present as a recollection…into the
form of what is explicit; of what is objective to self (Fürsichseins)。 

       9。    The transformation of the notion and the familiar into thought — 

We have to state more exactly the way this is done。 At the point at which we here take up this
movement; we are spared; in connexion with the whole; the process of cancelling and transcending
the stage of mere existence。 This process has already taken place。 What is still to be done and
needs a higher kind of transformation; is to transcend the forms as ideally presented and made
familiar to our minds。 By that previous negative process; existence; having been withdrawn into the
mind's substance; is; in the first instance; transferred to the life of self only in an immediate way。
The property the self has thereby acquired; has still the same character of uncomprehended
immediacy; of passive indifference; which existence itself had; existence has in this way merely
passed into the form of an ideal presentation。 At the same time; by so doing; it is something
familiar to us; something 〃well…known〃; something which the existent mind has finished and done
with; and hence takes no more to do with and no further interest in。 While the activity that is done
with the existent is itself merely the process of the particular mind; of mind which is not
comprehending itself; on the other hand; knowledge is directed against this ideal presentation
which has hereby arisen; against this 〃being…familiar〃 and 〃well…known〃; it is an action of universal
mind; the concern of thought。 

What is 〃familiarly known〃 is not properly known; just for the reason that it is 〃familiar〃。 When
engaged in the process of knowing; it is the commonest form of self…deception; and a deception of
other people as well; to assume something to be familiar; and give assent to it on that very
account。 Knowledge of that sort; with all its talk; never gets from the spot; but has no idea that this
is the case。 Subject and object; and so on; God; nature; understanding; sensibility; etc。; are
uncritically presupposed as familiar and something valid; and become fixed points from which to
start and to which to return。 The process of knowing flits between these secure points; and in
consequence goes on merely along the surface。 Apprehending and proving consist similarly in
seeing whether every one finds what is said corresponding to his idea too; whether it is familiar and
seems to him so and so or not。

Analysis of an idea; as it used to be carried out; did in fact consist in nothing else than doing away
with its character of familiarity。 To break up an idea into its ultimate elements means returning upon
its moments; which at least do not have the form of the given idea when found; but are the
immediate property of the self。 Doubtless this analysis only arrives at thoughts which are
themselves familiar elements; fixed inert determinations。 But what is thus separated; and in a sense
is unreal; is itself an essential moment; for just because the concrete fact is self…divided; and turns
into unreality; it is something self…moving; self…active。 The action of separating the elements is the
exercise of the force of Understanding; the most astonishing and greatest of all powers; or rather
the absolute power。 The circle; which is self…enclosed and at rest; and; qua substance; holds its
own moments; is an immediate relation; the immediate; continuous relation of elements with their
unity; and hence arouses no sense of wonderment。 But that an accident as such; when out loose
from its containing circumference; — that what is bound and held by something else and actual only
by being connected with it; — should obtain an existence all its own; gain freedom and
independence on its own account…this is the portentous power of the negative; it is the energy of
thought; of pure ego。 Death; as we may call that unreality; is the most terrible thing; and to keep
and hold fast what is dead demands the greatest force of all。 Beauty; powerless and helpless;
hates understanding; because the latter exacts from it what it cannot perform。 But the life of mind is
not one that shuns death; and keeps clear of destruction; it endures death and in death maintains its
being。 It only wins to its truth when it finds itself utterly torn asunder。 It is this mighty power; not by
being a positive which turns away from the negative; as when we say of anything it is nothing or it
is false; and; being then done with it; pass off to something else: on the contrary; mind is this power
only by looking the negative in the face; and dwelling with it。 This dwelling beside it is the magic
power that converts the negative into being。 That power is just what we spoke of above as
subject; which by giving determinateness a place in its substance; cancels abstract immediacy; i。e。
immediacy which merely is; and; by so doing; becomes the true substance; becomes being or
immediacy that does not have mediation outside it; but is this mediation itself。

                    10。  — and this into the Concept/Notion

This process of making what is objectively presented a possession of pure self…consciousness; of
raising it to the level of universality in general; is merely one aspect of mental development; spiritual
evolution is not yet completed。 The manner of study in ancient times is distinct from that of the
modem world; in that the former consisted in the cultivation and perfecting of the natural mind。
Testing life carefully at all points; philosophizing 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的