第 13 节
作者:桃桃逃      更新:2022-08-21 16:33      字数:9322
  remain
  sense…derived。 On the other hand; when I represent God; the content is undeniably a product of
  pure thought; but the form still retains the sensuous limitations which it has as I find it immediately
  present in myself。 In these generalised images the content is not merely and simply sensible; as it is
  in a visual inspection; but either the content is sensuous and the form appertains to thought; or vice
  versa。 In the first case the material is given to us; and our thought supplies the form: in the second
  case the content which has its source in thought is by means of the form turned into a something
  given; which accordingly reaches the mind from without。
  (2) Logic is the study of thought pure and simple; or of the pure thought…forms。 In the ordinary
  sense of the term; by thought we generally represent to ourselves something more than simple and
  unmixed thought; we mean some thought; the material of which is from experience。 Whereas in
  logic a thought is understood to include nothing else but what depends on thinking and what
  thinking has brought into existence。 It is in these circumstances that thoughts are pure thoughts。
  The mind is then in its own home…element and therefore free; for freedom means that the other
  thing with which you deal is a second self … so that you never leave your own ground but give the
  law to yourself。 In the impulses or appetites the beginning is from something else; from something
  which we feel to be external。 In this case then we speak of dependence。 For freedom it is
  necessary that we should feel no presence of something else which is not ourselves。 The natural
  man; whose motions follow the rule only of his appetites; is not his own master。 Be he as
  self…willed as he may; the constituents of his will and opinion are not his own; and his freedom is
  merely formal。 But when we think; we renounce our selfish and particular being; sink ourselves in
  the thing; allow thought to follow its own course; and if we add anything of our own; we think ill。
  If in pursuance of the foregoing remarks we consider Logic to be the system of the pure types of
  thought; we find that the other philosophical sciences; the Philosophy of Nature and the
  Philosophy of Mind; take the place; as it were; of an Applied Logic; and that Logic is the soul
  which animates them both。 Their problem in that case is only to recognise the logical forms under
  the shapes they assume in Nature and Mind … shapes which are only a particular mode of
  expression for the forms of pure thought。 If for instance we take the syllogism (not as it was
  understood in the old formal logic; but as its real value); we shall find it gives expression to the law
  that the particular is the middle term which fuses together the extremes of the universal and the
  singular。 The syllogistic form is a universal form of all things。 Everything that exists is a particular;
  which couples together the universal and the singular。 But Nature is weak and fails to exhibit the
  logical forms in their purity。 Such a feeble exemplification of the syllogism may be seen in the
  magnet。 In the middle or point of indifference of a magnet; its two poles; however they may be
  distinguished; are brought into one。 Physics also teaches us to see the universal or essence in
  Nature: and the only difference between it and the Philosophy of Nature is that the latter brings
  before our mind the adequate forms of the notion in the physical world。
  It will now be understood that Logic is the all…animating spirit of all the sciences; and its categories
  the spiritual hierarchy。 They are the heart and centre of things: and yet at the same time they are
  always on our lips; and; apparently at least; perfectly familiar objects。 But things thus familiar are
  usually the greatest strangers。 Being; for example; is a category of pure thought: but to make 'is' an
  object of investigation never occurs to us。 Common fancy puts the Absolute far away in a world
  beyond。 The Absolute is rather directly before us; so present that so long as we think; we must;
  though without express consciousness of it; always carry it with us and always use it。 Language is
  the main depository of these types of thought; and one use of the grammatical instruction which
  children receive is unconsciously to turn their attention to distinctions of thought。
  Logic is usually said to be concerned with forms only and to derive the material for them from
  elsewhere。 But this 'only'; which assumes that the logical thoughts are nothing in comparison with
  the rest of the contents; is not the word to use about forms which are the absolutely real ground of
  everything。 Everything else rather is an 'only' compared with these thoughts。 To make such
  abstract forms a problem presupposes in the inquirer a higher level of culture than ordinary; and to
  study them in themselves and for their own sake signifies in addition that these thought…types must
  be deduced out of thought itself; and their truth or reality examined by the light of their own laws。
  We do not assume them as data from without; and then define them or exhibit their value and
  authority by comparing them with the shape they take in our minds。 If we thus acted; we should
  proceed from observation and experience; and should; for instance; say we habitually employ the
  term 'force' in such a case; and such a meaning。 A definition like that would be called correct; if it
  agreed with the conception of its object present in our ordinary state of mind。 The defect of this
  empirical method is that a notion is not defined as it is in and for itself; but in terms of something
  assumed; which is then used as a criterion and standard of correctness。 No such test need be
  applied: we have merely to let the thought…forms follow the impulse of their own organic life。
  To ask if a category is true or not; must sound strange to the ordinary mind: for a category
  apparently becomes true only when it is applied to a given object; and apart from this application it
  would seem meaningless to inquire into the truth。 But this is the very question on which every thing
  turns。 We must however in the first place understand clearly what we mean by Truth。 In common
  life truth means the agreement of an object with our conception of it。 We thus presuppose an
  object to which our conception must conform。 In the philosophical sense of the word; on the other
  hand; truth may be described; in general abstract terms; as the agreement of a thought…content
  with itself。 This meaning is quite different from the one given above。 At the same time the deeper
  and philosophical meaning of truth can be partially traced even in the ordinary usage of language。
  Thus we speak of a true friend; by which we mean a friend whose manner of conduct accords
  with the notion of friendship。 In the same way we speak of a true work of Art。 Untrue in this sense
  means the same as bad; or self…discordant。 In this sense a bad state is an untrue state; and evil and
  untruth may be said to consist in the contradiction subsisting between the function or notion and
  the existence of the object。 Of such a bad object we may form a correct representation; but the
  import of such representation is inherently false。 Of these correctnesses; which are at the same
  time untruths; we may have many in our heads。 God alone is the thorough harmony of notion and
  reality。 All finite things involve an untruth: they have a notion and an existence; but their existence
  does not meet the requirements of the notion。 For this reason they must perish; and then the
  incompatibility between their notion and their existence becomes manifest。 It is in the kind that the
  individual animal has its notion; and the kind liberates itself from this individuality by death。
  The study of truth; or; as it is here explained to mean; consistency; constitutes the proper problem
  of logic。 In our everyday mind we are never troubled with questions about the truth of the forms of
  thought。 We may also express the problem of logic by saying that it examines the forms of thought
  touching their capability to hold truth。 And the question comes to this: What are the forms of the
  infinite; and what are the forms of the finite ? Usually no suspicion attaches to the finite forms of
  thought; they are allowed to pass unquestioned。 But it is from conforming to finite categories in
  thought and action that all deception originates。
  (3) Truth may be ascertained by several methods; each of which however is no more than a form。
  Experience is the first of these methods。 But the method is only a form: it has no intrinsic value of
  its own。 For in experience everything depends upon the mind we bring to bear upon actuality。 A
  great mind is great in its experience; and in the motley play of phenomena at once perceives the
  point of real significance。 The idea is present; in actual shape; not something; as it were; over the
  hill and far away。 The genius of a Goethe; for example; looking into nature or history; has great
  experiences; catches sight of the living principle; and gives expression to it。
  A second method of apprehending the truth is Reflection; which defines it by intellectual relations
  of condition and conditioned。 But in these two mo