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

第33章

phenomenology of mind-第33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!



longer contains the character of negativity; and the mode of consciousness; which is now aware of
a being of sense; is merely a way of 〃meaning〃 (Meinen) or 〃intending〃; i。e。 it has left the attitude of
perception entirely and gone back into itself。 But sense existence and 〃meaning〃 themselves pass
over into perception: I am thrown back on the beginning; and once more dragged into the same
circuit; that supersedes itself in every moment and as a whole。 

Consciousness; then; has to go over this cycle again; but not in the same way as on the first
occasion。 For it has found out; regarding perception; that the truth and outcome of perception is its
dissolution; is reflection out of and away from the truth into itself。 In this way consciousness
becomes definitely aware of how its perceptual process is essentially constituted; viz。 that this is
not a simple bare apprehension; but in its apprehension is at the same time reflected out of the true
content back into itself。 This return of consciousness into itself; which is immediately involved and
implicated in that pure apprehension — for this return to self has proved to be essential to
perception — alters the true content。 Consciousness is aware that this aspect is at the same time its
own; and takes it upon itself and by so doing consciousness will thus get the true object bare and
naked。 

In this way we have; now; in the case of perception; as happened in the case of sensuous
certainty; the aspect of consciousness being forced back upon itself; but; in the first instance; not in
the sense in which this took place in the former case — i。e。 not as if the truth of perception fell
within it。 Rather consciousness is aware that the untruth; that comes out there; falls within it。 By
knowing this; however; consciousness is able to cancel and supersede this untruth。 It distinguishes
its apprehension of the truth from the untruth of its perception; corrects this untruth; and; so far as
itself takes in hand to make this correction; the truth; qua truth of perception; certainly falls within
its own consciousness。 The procedure of consciousness; which we have now to consider; is thus
so constituted that it no longer merely perceives; but is also conscious of its reflection into self; and
keeps this apart from the simple apprehension proper。 

             2。 The Contradictoriness of the Perception of “Things”

To begin with; then; I am aware of the 〃thing〃 as a one and have to keep it fixed in this true
character as one〃。 If in the course of perceiving something crops up contradicting that; then I must
take it to be due to my reflection。 Now; in perception various different properties also turn up;
which seem to be properties of the thing。 But the thin is a 〃one〃; and we are aware in ourselves
that this diversity; by which the thing ceases to be a unity; falls in us。 This thing; then; is; in point of
fact; merely white to our eyes; also tart to our tongue; and also cubical to our feeling; and so on。
The entire diversity of these aspects comes not from the thing; but from us; and we find them
falling apart thus from one another; because the organs they affect are quite distinct inter se; the
eye is entirely distinct from the tongue; and so on。 We are; consequently; the universal medium
where such elements get dissociated; and exist each by itself。 By the fact; then; that we regard the
characteristic of being a universal medium as our reflection; we preserve and maintain the
self…sameness and truth of the thing; its being a 〃one〃。 

These diverse aspects; which consciousness puts to its side of the account; are; however; each by
itself just as it appears in the universal medium; specifically determined。 White is only in opposition
to black; and so on; and the thing is a 〃one〃 just by the fact that it is opposed to other things。 It
does not; however; exclude others from itself; so far as it is 〃one〃; for to be 〃one〃 is to be in a
universal relation of self to self; and hence by the fact of its being 〃one〃 it is rather like all。 It is
through the determinate characteristic that the thing excludes other things。 Things themselves are
thus determinate in and for themselves; they have properties by which they distinguish themselves
from one another。 Since the property is the special and peculiar property 'the proper property'
of the thing; or a specific characteristic in the thing itself; the thing has several properties。 For; in
the first place; the thing is true being; is a being inherently in itself; and what is in it is so as its own
essential nature; and not on account of other things。 Hence; in the second place; the determinate
properties are not on account of other things and for other things; but inherent in that thing itself。
They are; however; determinate properties in it only by the fact that they are several; and maintain
their distinction from one another。 And; in the third self…contained; each in and for itself; and are
indifferent to one another。 It is; then; in truth the thing itself which is white; and also cubical; and
also tart;; and so on; in other words; the thing is the 〃also〃; the general medium; wherein the many
properties subsist externally to one another; without touching or affecting one another; and without
canceling one another; and; so taken; the thing is taken as what it truly is。 

Now; on this mode of perception arising; consciousness is at the same time aware that it reflects
itself also into itself; and that; in perceiving; the opposite moment to the 〃also〃 crops up。 This
moment; however; is the unity of the thing with itself; a unity which excludes distinction from itself。
It is consequently this unity which consciousness has to take upon itself ; for the thing as such is the
subsistence of many different and independent properties。 Thus we say of the thing; 〃it is white;
and also cubical; and also tart〃; and so on。 But so far as it is white it is not cubical; and so far as it
is cubical and also white it is not tart; and so on。 Putting these properties into a 〃one〃 belongs
solely to consciousness; which; therefore; has to avoid letting them coincide and be one (i。e。 one
and the same property) in the thing。 For that purpose it introduces the idea of 〃in…so…far〃 to meet
the difficulty; and by this means it keeps the qualities apart; and preserves the thing in the sense of
the 〃also〃。 Quite rightly consciousness at first makes itself responsible for the oneness〃 in such a
way that what was called a property is represented as being 〃free matter〃 (materia libera)。 (3) In
this way the thing is raised to the level of a true also' since it …thus becomes a collection of
component elements (materials or matters); and instead of being a one〃 becomes a mere
enclosure; a circumscribing。 

If we look back on what consciousness formerly took upon itself; and now takes upon itself; what
it previously ascribed to the thing; and now ascribes to it; we see that consciousness alternately
makes itself; as well as the thing; into both a pure atomic many…less 〃one〃; and an 〃also〃 resolved
into independent constituent elements (materials or matters)。 Consciousness thus finds through this
comparison that not only its way of taking the truth contains the diverse moments of apprehension
and return upon itself; but that the truth itself; the thing; manifests itself in this twofold manner。 Here
we find; as a result of experience; that the thing exhibits itself; in a determinate and specific
manner; to the consciousness apprehending it; but at the same time is reflected back into itself out
of that manner of presenting itself to consciousness; in other words; the thing contains within it
opposite aspects of truth; a truth whose elements are in antithesis to one another。 

Consciousness; then; gets away also from this second form of perceptual procedure; that; namely;
which takes the thing as the true selfsame; and itself as the reverse; as the factor that leaves
sameness behind and goes back into self。 Its object is now the entire process which was
previously shared between the object and consciousness。 The thing is a 〃one〃; reflected into self; it
is for itself; but it is also for an other; and; furthe

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的