phenomenology of mind-第165章

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objectivity　of　imaginative　thought；　but　in　becoming　concrete　actual　self；　reflecting　itself　into　self；
and　being　Subject。　This；　then；　is　the　process　which　spirit　realizes　in　its　communion；　this　is　its　life。
What　this　self…revealing　spirit　is　in　and　for　itself；　is　therefore　not　brought　out　by　the　rich　content　of
its　life　being；　so　to　say；　untwined　and　reduced　to　its　original　and　primitive　strands；　to　the　ideas；　for
instance；　presented　before　the　minds　of　the　first　imperfect　religious　communion；　or　even　to　what
the　actual　human　being　＇incarnating　the　Divine　Spirit＇　has　spoken。（9）　This　reversion　to　the　primitive
is　based　on　the　instinct　to　get　at　the　notion；　the　ultimate　principle；　but　it　confuses　the　origin；　in　the
sense　of　the　immediate；　existence　of　the　first　historical　appearance；　with　the　simplicity　of　the
notion。　By　thus　impoverishing　the　life　of　spirit；　by　clearing　away　the　idea　of　the　communion　and　its
action　with　regard　to　its　idea；　there　arises；　therefore；　not　the　notion；　but　bare　externality　and
particularity；　merely　the　historical　manner　in　which　spirit　once　upon　a　time　appeared；　the　soulless
recollection　of　a　presumably　（gemeinten）　individual　historical　figure　and　its　past。（10）

Spirit　is　content　of　its　consciousness　to　begin　with　in　the　form　of　pure　substance；　in　other　words；　it
is　content　of　its　pure　consciousness。　This　element　of　thought　is　the　process　of　descending　into
existence；　or　individuality。　The　middle　term　between　these　two　is　their　synthetic　connexion；　the
consciousness　of　passing　into　otherness；　the　process　of　imaginative　presentation　as　such。　The　third
stage　is　the　return　from　this　presentation　and　from　that　otherness；　in　other　words；　it　is　the　element
of　self…consciousness　itself。

These　three　moments　constitute　the　life　of　spirit。　Its　resolution　in　imaginative　thought　consists　in　its
taking　on　a　determinate　mode　of　being；　this　determinateness；　however；　is　nothing　but　one　of　its
moments。　Its　detailed　process　thus　consists　in　spreading　its　nature　out　in　each　of　its　moments　as　in
an　element　in　which　it　lives：　and　in　so　far　as　each　of　these　spheres　completes　itself　in　itself；　this
reflexion　into　itself　is　at　the　same　time　the　transition　into　another　sphere　of　its　being。　Imaginative
presentation　constitutes　the　middle　term　between　pure　thought　and　self…consciousness　as　such；　and
is　merely　one　of　the　determinate　forms。　At　the　same　time　however；　as　has　been　shown；　the
character　belonging　to　such　presentation　—　that　of　being　〃synthetic　connexion〃　—　is　spread　over　all
these　elements　and　is　their　common　characteristic。

The　content　itself；　which　we　have　to　consider；　has　partly　been　met　with　already；　as　the　idea　of　the
〃unhappy〃　and　the　〃believing〃　consciousness。　In　the　case　of　the　〃unhappy〃　consciousness；
however；　the　content　has　the　characteristic　of　being　produced　from　consciousness　and　for　which　it
yearns；　a　content　wherein　the　spirit　can　never　be　satiated　nor　find　rest　because　the　content　is　not
yet　its　own　content　inherently　and　essentially；　or　in　the　sense　of　being　its　substance。　In　the　case　of
the　〃believing〃　consciousness；　again；　this　content　was　regarded　as　the　impersonal　Being　of　the
World；　as　the　essentially　objective　content　of　imaginative　thought　—　a　pictorial　thinking　that　seeks
to　escape　the　actual　world　altogether；　and　consequently　has　not　the　certainty　of
self…consciousness；　a　certainty　which　is　cut　off　from　it；　partly　as　being　conceit　of　knowledge；　partly
as　being　pure　insight。　The　consciousness　of　the　religious　communion；　on　the　other　hand；　possesses
the　content　as　its　substance；　just　as　the　content　is　the　certainty　the　communion　has　of　its　own　spirit。

　　　　　　　　　　　　（3）。　The　Deevelopment　of　the　Notion　of　Revealed　Religion

Spirit；　represented　at　first　as　substance　in　the　element　of　pure　thought；　is；　thus；　primarily　the　eternal
essential　Being；　simple；　self…identical；　which　does　not；　however；　have　this　abstract　meaning　of
essential　Being；　but　the　meaning　of　Absolute　Spirit。　Yet　spirit　consists；　not　in　being　a　meaning；　not
in　being　the　inner；　but　in　being　the　actual；　the　real。　〃Simple　eternal　essential　Being〃　would；
therefore；　be　spirit　merely　in　empty　phrase；　if　we　remained　at　the　level　of　pictorial　thought；　and
went　no　further　than　the　expression　of　〃simple　eternal　essential　Being〃。　〃Simple　essential　Being〃；
however；　because　it　is　abstraction；　is　in　point　of　fact　the　inherently　negative；　is　indeed　the　negativity
of　reflective　thought；　or　negativity　as　found　in　Being　per　se；　i。e。　it　is　absolute　distinction　from　itself；
is　pure　process　of　becoming　its　other。　Qua　essential　Being；　it　is　merely　implicit；　or　for　us：　but　since
this　purity　of　form　is　just　abstraction　or　negativity；　it　is　for　itself；　it　is　the　self；　the　notion。　It　is　thus
objective；　and　since　pictorial　thinking　apprehends　and　expresses　as　an　event　what　has　just　been
expressed　as　the　necessity　of　the　notion；　it　will　be　said　that　the　eternal　Being　begets　for　itself　an
other。　But　in　this　otherness　it　has　likewise；　ipso　facto；　returned　into　itself　again；　for　the　distinction
is　distinction　in　itself；　i。e。　the　distinction　is　directly　distinguished　merely　from　itself；　and　is　thus　the
unity　returned　into　itself。

There　are　thus　three　moments　to　be　distinguished：　Essential　Being；　explicit　Self…existence；　which　is
the　express　otherness　of　essential　Being；　and　for　which　that　Being　is　object；　and　Self…existence　or
Self…knowledge　in　that　other。　The　essential　Being　beholds　only　itself　in　its　Self…existence；　in　its
objective　otherness。　In　thus　emptying　itself；　in　this　kenosis；　it　is　merely　within　itself：　the　independent
Self…existence　which　excludes　itself　from　essential　Being　is　the　knowledge　of　itself　on　the　part　of
essential　Being。　It　is　the　〃Word〃；　the　Logos；　which　when　spoken　empties　the　speaker　of　himself；
outwardizes　him；　and　leaves　him　behind　emptied；　but　is　as　immediately　perceived；　and　only　this　act
of　self…perceiving　himself　is　the　actual　existence　of　the　〃Word〃。　Hence；　then；　the　distinctions　which
are　set　up　are　just　as　immediately　resolved　as　they　are　made；　and　are　just　as　directly　made　as　they
are　resolved；　and　the　truth　and　the　reality　consist　precisely　in　this　self　…closed　circular　process。

This　movement　within　itself　expresses　the　absolute　Being　qua　Spirit。　Absolute　Being；　when　not
grasped　as　Spirit；　is　merely　the　abstract　void；　just　as　spirit　which　is　not　grasped　as　this　process　is
merely　an　empty　word。　Since　its　moments　are　grasped　purely　as　moments；　they　are　notions　in
restless　activity；　which　are　merely　in　being　inherently　their　own　opposite；　and　in　finding　their　rest　in
the　whole。　But　the　pictorial　thought　of　the　religious　communion　is　not　this　notional　thinking；　it　has
the　content　without　its　necessity；　and　instead　of　the　form　of　the　notion　it　brings　into　the　realm　of
pure　consciousness　the　natural　relations　of　Father　and　Son。　Since　it　thus；　even　when　thinking；
proceeds　by　way　of　figurative　ideas；　absolute　Being　is　indeed　revealed　to　it；　but　the　moments　of
this　Being；　owing　to　this　＇externally＇　synthetic　pictorial　thinking；　partly　fall　of　themselves　apart　from
one　another；　so　that　they　are　not　related　to　each　other　through　their　own　very　notion；　while；　partly
again；　this　figurative　thinking　retreats　from　the　pure　object　it　deals　with；　and　takes　up　a　merely
external　relation　towards　it。　The　object　is　externally　revealed　to　it　from　an　alien　source；　and　in　this
thought　of　Spirit　it　does　not　recognize　its　own　self；　does　not　recognize　the　nature　of　pure
self…consciousness。　In　so　far　as　the　form　of　figurative　thinking　and　that　way　of　thinking　by　means　of
relationships　derived　from　nature　have　to　be　transcended；　and　especially　the　method　of　taking　the
moments　of　the　process；　which　Spirit　is；　as　isolated　immovable　substances　or　subjects；　instead　of
transient　moments　—　this　transcendence　is　to　be　looked　at　as　a　compulsion　on　the　part　of　the
notion；　in　the　way　we　formerly　pointed　out　when　dealing　with　another　aspect。（11）　But　since　it　is
only　an　instinct；　it　mistakes　its　own　real　character；　rejects　the　content　along　with　the　form；　and；
what　comes　to　the　same　thing；　degrades　the　content　into　a　historical　imaginative　idea　and　an
heirloom　handed　down　by