concrete　within　itself。　Its　first　activity　is　formal；　Aristotle　was　the　first　to　say　that　is　the　thought　of
  thought。　The　result　is　the　thought　which　is　at　home　with　itself；　and　at　the　same　time　embraces　the
  universe　therein；　and　transforms　it　into　an　intelligent　world。　In　apprehension　the　spiritual　and　the
  natural　universe　are　interpenetrated　as　one　harmonious　universe；　which　withdraws　into　itself；　and　in
  its　various　aspects　develops　the　Absolute　into　a　totality；　in　order；　by　the　very　process　of　so　doing；
  to　become　conscious　of　itself　in　its　unity；　in　Thought。　Philosophy　is　thus　the　true　theodicy；　as
  contrasted　with　art　and　religion　and　the　feelings　which　these　call　up　…　a　reconciliation　of　spirit；
  namely　of　the　spirit　which　has　apprehended　itself　in　its　freedom　and　in　the　riches　of　its　reality。
  To　this　point　the　World…spirit　has　come；　and　each　stage　has　its　own　form　in　the　true　system　of
  Philosophy；　nothing　is　lost；　all　principles　are　preserved；　since　Philosophy　in　its　final　aspect　is　the
  totality　of　forms。　This　concrete　idea　is　the　result　of　the　strivings　of　spirit　during　almost　twenty…five
  centuries　of　earnest　work　to　become　objective　to　itself；　to　know　itself：
  Tant？　molis　erat；　se　ipsam　cognoscere　mentem。
  All　this　time　was　required　to　produce　the　philosophy　of　our　day；　so　tardily　and　slowly　did　the
  World…spirit　work　to　reach　this　goal。　What　we　pass　in　rapid　review　when　we　recall　it；　stretched
  itself　out　in　reality　to　this　great　length　of　time。　For　in　this　lengthened　period；　the　Notion　of　Spirit；
  invested　with　its　entire　concrete　development；　its　external　subsistence；　its　wealth；　is　striving　to　bring
  spirit　to　perfection；　to　make　progress　itself　and　to　develop　from　spirit。　It　goes　ever　on　and　on；
  because　spirit　is　progress　alone。　Spirit　often　seems　to　have　forgotten　and　lost　itself；　but　inwardly
  opposed　to　itself；　it　is　inwardly　working　ever　forward　（as　when　Hamlet　says　of　the　ghost　of　his
  father；　“Well　said；　old　mole！　canst　work　i'　the　ground　so　fast？”（1））　until　grown　strong　in　itself　it
  bursts　asunder　the　crust　of　earth　which　divided　it　from　the　sun；　its　Notion；　so　that　the　earth
  crumbles　away。　At　such　a　time；　when　the　encircling　crust；　like　a　soulless　decaying　tenement；
  crumbles　away；　and　spirit　displays　itself　arrayed　in　new　youth；　the　seven　league　boots　are　at　length
  adopted。　This　work　of　the　spirit　to　know　itself；　this　activity　to　find　itself；　is　the　life　of　the　spirit　and
  the　spirit　itself。　Its　result　is　the　Notion　which　it　takes　up　of　itself；　the　history　of　Philosophy　is　a
  revelation　of　what　has　been　the　aim　of　spirit　throughout　its　history；　it　is　therefore　the　world's　history
  in　its　innermost　signification。　This　work　of　the　human　spirit　in　the　recesses　of　thought　is　parallel　with
  all　the　stages　of　reality；　and　therefore　no　philosophy　oversteps　its　own　time。　The　importance　which
  the　determinations　of　thought　possessed　is　another　matter；　which　does　not　belong　to　the　history　of
  Philosophy。　These　Notions　are　the　simplest　revelation　of　the　World　spirit：　in　their　more　concrete
  form　they　are　history。
  We　must；　therefore；　in　the　first　place　not　esteem　lightly　what　spirit　has　won；　namely　its　gains　up　to
  the　present　day。　Ancient　Philosophy　is　to　be　reverenced　as　necessary；　and　as　a　link　in　this　sacred
  chain；　but　all　the　same　nothing　more　than　a　link。　The　present　is　the　highest　stage　reached。　In　the
  second　place；　all　the　various　philosophies　are　no　mere　fashionable　theories　of　the　time；　or　anything
  of　a　similar　nature；　they　are　neither　chance　products　nor　the　blaze　of　a　fire　of　straw；　nor　casual
  eruptions　here　and　there；　but　a　spiritual；　reasonable；　forward　advance；　they　are　of　necessity　one
  Philosophy　in　its　development；　the　revelation　of　God；　as　He　knows　Himself　to　be。　Where　several
  philosophies　appear　at　the　same　time；　they　are　different　sides　which　make　up　one　totality　forming
  their　basis；　and　on　account　of　their　one…sidedness　we　see　the　refutation　of　the　one　by　the　other。　In
  the　third　place　we　do　not　find　here　feeble　little　efforts　to　establish　or　to　criticize　this　or　that
  particular　point；　instead　of　that；　each　philosophy　sets　up　a　new　principle　of　its　own；　and　this　must
  be　recognized。
  If　we　glance　at　the　main　epochs　in　the　whole　history　of　Philosophy；　and　grasp　the　necessary
  succession　of　stages　in　the　leading　moments；　each　of　which　expresses　a　determinate　Idea；　we　find
  that　after　the　Oriental　whirl　of　subjectivity；　which　attains　to　no　intelligibility　and　therefore　to　no
  subsistence；　the　light　of　thought　dawned　among　the　Greeks。
  1。　The　philosophy　of　the　ancients　had　the　absolute　Idea　as　its　thought；　and　the　realization　or　reality
  of　the　same　consisted　in　comprehending　the　existing　present　world；　and　regarding　it　as　it　is　in　its
  absolute　nature。　This　philosophy　did　not　make　its　starting…point　the　Idea　itself；　but　proceeded　from
  the　objective　as　from　something　given；　and　transformed　the　same　into　the　Idea；　the　Being　of
  Parmenides。
  2。　Abstract　thought；　became　known　to　itself　as　universal　essence　or　existence；　not　as　subjective
  thought；　the　Universal　of　Plato。
  3。　In　Aristotle　the　Notion　emerges；　free　and　unconstrained；　as　comprehending　thought；　permeating
  and　spiritualizing　all　the　forms　which　the　universe　contains。
  4。　The　Notion　as　subject；　its　independence；　its　inwardness；　abstract　separation；　is　represented　by
  the　Stoics；　Epicureans　and　Sceptics：　here　we　have　not　the　free；　concrete　form；　but　universality
  abstract　and　in　itself　formal。
  5。　The　thought　of　totality；　the　intelligible　world；　is　the　concrete　Idea　as　we　have　seen　it　with　the
  Neo…Platonists。　This　principle　is　ideality　generally　speaking；　which　is　present　in　all　reality；　but　not
  the　Idea　which　knows　itself：　this　is　not　reached　until　the　principle　of　subjectivity；　individuality；　found
  a　place　in　it；　and　God　as　spirit　became　actual　to　Himself　in　self…consciousness。
  6。　But　it　has　been　the　work　of　modern　times　to　grasp　this　Idea　as　spirit；　as　the　Idea　that　knows
  itself。　In　order　to　proceed　from　the　conscious　Idea　to　the　self…conscious；　we　must　have　the　infinite
  opposition；　namely　the　fact　that　the　Idea　has　come　to　the　consciousness　of　being　absolutely
  sundered　in　twain。　As　spirit　had　the　thought　of　objective　existence；　Philosophy　thus　perfected　the
  intellectuality　of　the　world；　and　produced　this　spiritual　world　as　an　object　existing　beyond　present
  reality；　like　Nature；　…　the　first　creation　of　spirit。　The　work　of　the　spirit　now　consisted　in　bringing
  this　Beyond　back　to　reality；　and　guiding　it　into　self…consciousness。　This　is　accomplished　by
  self…consciousness　thinking　itself；　and　recognizing　absolute　existence　to　be　the　self…consciousness
  that　thinks　itself。　With　Descartes　pure　thought　directed　itself　on　that　separation　which　we　spoke　of
  above。　Self…consciousness；　in　the　first　place；　thinks　of　itself　as　consciousness；　therein　is　contained
  all　objective　reality；　and　the　positive；　intuitive　reference　of　its　reality　to　the　other　side。　With　Spinoza
  Thought　and　Being　are　opposed　and　yet　identical；　he　has　the　intuitive　perception　of　substance；　but
  the　knowledge　of　substance　in　his　case　is　external。　We　have　here　the　principle　of　reconciliation
  taking　its　rise　from　thought　as　such；　in　order　to　abrogate　the　subjectivity　of　thought：　this　is　the　case
  in　Leibnitz's　monad；　which　possesses　the　power　of　representation。
  7。　In　the　second　place；　self…consciousness　thinks　of　itself　as　being　self…consciousness；　in　being
  self…conscious　it　is　independent；　but　still　in　this　independence　it　has　a　negative　relation　to　what　is
  outside　self…consciousness。　This　is　infinite　subjectivity；　which　appears　at　one　time　as　the　critique　of
  thought　in　the　case　of　Kant；　and　at　another　time；　in　the　case　of　Fichte；　as　the　tendency　or　impulse
  towards　the　concrete。　Absolute；　pure；　infinite　form　is　expressed　as　self…consciousness；　the　Ego。
  8。　This　is　a　light　that　breaks　forth　on　spiritual　substance；　and　shows　absolute　content　and　absolute
  form　to　be　identical；　…　substance　is　in　itself　identical　with　knowledge。　Self…consciousness　thus；　in
  the　third　place；　recognizes　its　positive　relation　as　its　negative；　and　its　negative　as　its　positive；　or；　in
  other　words；　recognizes　these　opposite　activities　as　the　same；　i。e。　it　recognizes　pure　Thought　or
  Being　as　self…identity；　and　this　again　as　separation。　This　is　intellectual　perception；　but　it　is　requisite
  in　order　that　it　should　be　in　truth　intellectual；　that　it　should　not　be　that　merely　immediate　perception
  of　the　eternal　and　the　divine　which　we　hear　of；　but　should　be　absolute　knowledge。　This　intuitive
  perception　which　does　not　recognize　itself　is　taken　as　starting…point　as　if　it　were　absolutely
  presupposed；　it　has　in　itself　intuitive　perception　only　as　immediate　knowledge；　and　not　as
  self…knowledge：　or　it　knows　nothing；　and　what　it　perceives　it　does　not　really　know；…　for；　taken　at
  its　best；　it　consists　of　beautiful　thoughts；　but　not　knowledge。
  But　intellectual　intuition　is　knowledge；　since；　in　the　first　place；　in　spite　of　the　separation　of　each　of
  the　opposed　sides　from　the　other；　all　external　reality　is　known　as　internal。　If　it　is　known　according
  to　its　essence；　as　it　is；　it　shows　itself　as　not　existing　of　itself；　but　as　essentially　consis