第 53 节
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桃桃逃 更新:2022-08-21 16:33 字数:9317
moral and religious aspect; but it also holds good in reference to performances in art and science。
The keen eye of a teacher who perceives in his pupil decided evidences of talent; may lead him to
state his opinion that a Raphael of a Mozart lies hidden in the boy: and the result will show how far
such an opinion was well…founded。 But if a daub of a painter; or a poetaster; soothe themselves by
the conceit that their head is full of high ideas; their consolation is a poor one; and if they insist on
being judged not by their actual works but by their projects; we may safely reject their pretensions
as unfounded and unmeaning。 The converse case however also occurs。 In passing judgment on
men who have accomplished something great and good; we often make use of the false distinction
between inward and outward。 All that they have accomplished; we say; is outward merely;
inwardly they were acting from some very different motive; such as a desire to gratify their vanity
or other unworthy passion。 This is the spirit of envy。 Incapable of any great action of its own; envy
tries hard to depreciate greatness and to bring it down to its own level。 Let us; rather; recall the
fine expression of Goethe; that there is no remedy but Love against great superiorities of others。
We may seek to rob men's great actions of their grandeur; by the insinuation of hypocrisy; but;
though it is possible that men in an instance now and then may dissemble and disguise a good deal;
they cannot conceal the whole of their inner self; which infallibly betrays itself in the decursus
vitae。 Even here it is true that a man is nothing but the series of his actions。
What is called the 'pragmatic' writing of history has in modern times frequently sinned in its
treatment of great historical characters; and defaced and tarnished the true conception of them by
this fallacious separation of the outward and the inward。 Not content with telling the unvarnished
tale of the great acts which have been wrought by the heroes of the world's history; and wit
acknowledging that their inward being corresponds with the import of their acts; the pragmatic
historian fancies himself justified and even obliged to trace the supposed secret motives that lie
behind the open facts of the record。 The historian; in that case; is supposed to write with more
depth in proportion as he succeeds in tearing away the aureole from all that has been heretofore
held grand and glorious; and in depressing it; so far as its origin and proper significance are
concerned; to the level of vulgar mediocrity。 To make these pragmatic researches in history easier;
it is usual to recommend the study of psychology; which is supposed to make us acquainted with
the real motives of human actions。 The psychology in question however; is only that petty
knowledge of men; which looks away from the essential and permanent in human nature to fasten
its glance on the casual and private features shown in isolated instincts and passions。 A pragmatic
psychology ought at leat to leave the historian; who investigates the motives at the ground of great
actions; a choice between the 'substantial' interests of patriotism; justice; religious truth; and the
like; on the one hand; and the subjective and 'formal' interests of vanity; ambition; avarice; and the
like; on the other。 The latter; however; are the motives which must be viewed by the pragmatist as
really efficient; otherwise the assumption of a contrast between inward (the disposition of the
agent) and the outward (the import of he action) would fall to the ground。 But inward and outward
have in truth the same content; and the right doctrine is the very reverse of this pedantic judiciality。
If the heroes of history had been actuated by subjective and formal interests alone; they would
never have accomplished what they have。 And if we have due regard to the unity between the
inner and the outer; we must own that great men willed what they did; and did what they willed。
§141
The empty abstractions; by means of which the one identical content perforce
continues in the two correlatives; suspend themselves in the immediate transition;
the one into the other。 The content is itself nothing but their identity (§138): and
these abstractions are the seeming of essence; put as seeming。 By the
manifestation of force the inward is put into existence: but this putting is the
mediation by empty abstractions。 In its own self the intermediating process
vanishes to the immediacy; in which the inward and the outward are absolutely
identical and their difference is distinctly no more than assumed and imposed。
This identity is Actuality。
ESSENCE: Second Subdivision of The Logic;
C。 ACTUALITY
Substantiality … Causality … Reciprocity
§ 142
Actuality is the unity; become immediate; of essence with existence; or of inward
with outward。 The utterance of the actual is the actual itself: so that in this
utterance it remains just as essential; and only is essential; in so far as it is
immediate external existence。
We have ere this met Being and Existence as forms of the immediate。 Being is; in
general; unreflected immediacy and transition into another。 Existence is immediate
unity of being and reflection: hence appearance: it comes from the ground; and
falls to the ground。
In actuality this unity is explicitly put; and the two sides of the relation identified。
Hence the actual is exempted from transition; and its externality is its energising。
In that energising it is reflected into itself: its existence is only the manifestation of
itself; not of another。
§ 142n
Exists but not Real
Actuality and thought (or Idea) are often absurdly opposed。 How commonly we hear people
saying that; though no objection can be urged against the truth and correctness of a certain
thought; there is nothing of the kind to be seen in reality; or it cannot be actually carried out!
People who use such language only prove that they have not properly apprehended the nature
either of thought or of actuality。 Thought in such a case is; one the one hand; the synonym for a
subjective conception; plan; intention; or the like; just as actuality; on the other; is made
synonymous with external and sensible existence。 This is all very well in common life; where great
laxity is allowed in the categories and the names given to them; and it may of course happen that;
e。g。; the plan; or so…called idea; say; of a certain method of taxation ; is good and advisable in the
abstract; but that nothing of the sort is found in so…called actuality; or could possibly be carried out
under the given conditions。 But when the abstract understanding gets hold of these categories and
exaggerates the distinction they imply into a hard and fast line of contrast; when it tells us that in
this actual world we must knock ideas out of our heads; it is necessary energetically to protest
against these doctrines; alike in the name of science and of sound reason。 For on the one hand
Ideas are not confined to our heads merely; nor is the Idea; on the whole; so feeble as to leave the
question of its actualisation or non…actualisation dependent on our will。 The Idea is rather the
absolutely active as well as actual。
?
The Actual is Real
And on the other hand actuality is not so bad and irrational; as purblind or wrong…headed and
muddle…brained would…be reformers imagine。 So far is actuality; as distinguished from mere
appearance; and primarily presenting a unity of inward and outward; from being in contrariety with
reason; that it is rather thoroughly reasonable; and everything which is not reasonable must on that
very ground cease to be held actual。 The same view may be traced in the usages of educated
speech; which declines to give the name of real poet or real statesman to a poet or a statesman
who can do nothing really meritorious or reasonable。 Aristotle to that of Plato。 Popular opinion
makes the difference to be as follows。 While Plato recognises the idea and only the idea as the
truth; Aristotle; rejecting the idea; keeps to what is actual; and is on that account to be considered
the founder and chief of empiricism。 On this it may be remarked: that it is not the vulgar actuality of
what is immediately at hand; but the idea as actuality。 Where then lies the controversy of Aristotle
against Plato? It lies in this: Aristotle calls the Platonic idea a mere dynamis; and establishes in
opposition to Plato that the idea; which both equally recognise to be the only truth; is essentially to
be viewed as an energeia; in other words; as the inward which is quite to the fore; or as unity of
inner and outer; or as actuality; in the emphatic sense here given to the word。
§ 143
Actuality is concrete
Such a concrete category as Actuality includes the characteristics aforesaid and
their difference; and is therefore also the development of them; in such a way
t