Little logic

Author: (German) Hegel
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-09-16
Features: Logic primarily includes four parts: "Preliminary Definitions of Logical Concepts," "Ontology," "Essence," and "Concept." Hegel uses the qualities of quality, quantity, and measure from "Ontology" as the factual basis for his arguments, while the absolute idea from "Concept" serves as the ultimate result. His fundamental approach is to explore the relationship between thought (idea) and existence (reality) formed by these two elements. Hegel asserts that "what is real is rational, and what is rational is real." This famous statement has been quoted as a maxim. However, when Hegel made this remark, his term "real" did not refer to the meaning intended by empiricists. He emphasized that empiricists are confined to finite experiential categories, so anything they call "real" is, in his view, irrational. Only by transcending finite reality and raising one's perspective to the level of the whole can reality become rational. Hegel consistently sought to demonstrate the comprehensiveness of his system, so his concepts all possess the characteristics of totality and absoluteness. For example, "existence" is complex and all-encompassing, while the so-called "idea" is an absolute unity. Logic prominently discusses the issue of "idea," and according to Hegel, "idea" is the absolute unity of the subjective and objective aspects. He defined it precisely as the "idea in and for itself," or the "absolute idea." This concept traces back to ancient Greek philosophy. Over two thousand years ago, Plato regarded the "idea of the good" as the highest category, believing that even gods must follow the model of ideas to create the world. Later, Aristotle considered the highest form of idea to be pure thought or thought thinking itself, viewing it as something divine. However, after the reaction against medieval theological systems, such as the Renaissance, by the 19th century, Hegel, with his distinctive absolutist philosophical thinking, "armed" the idea, elevating Western idealism to a new height. Hegel also used dialectics throughout Logic. In form, the structure of the four main chapters in each of the four parts follows the famous "three unities of logic." This structure reflects, to some extent, the main features of Hegel's dialectics: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Hegel's dialectics did not arise from mere fabrication. Based on an overview of the development of modern philosophy, he proposed three processes of logical thinking: understanding, which insists that things are either this or that, completely opposed; dialectical reason, which breaks the boundaries of opposition and acknowledges the possibility of mutual transformation; and speculative reason, which achieves unity of knowledge through the mutual transformation of opposing things. Therefore, nothing is entirely false, and nothing we can know is entirely true—truth and falsehood are merely two aspects of the absolute whole. Hegel believed that the only way to achieve his goal of absolute unity is through the dialectical method of negation of the negation. It can be said that introducing dialectics into the realm of philosophy is the most prominent feature and achievement of Logic. The dialectical method of transitioning from thesis to antithesis and then to synthesis undoubtedly became the fundamental method of Hegel's entire philosophical system. This book is translated from the Logic section of Hegel's Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Those who study Hegel's philosophy sometimes refer to it as the "Logic of the Encyclopedia" or the "Small Logic" to distinguish it from his larger two-volume Science of Logic. This translation is titled Logic for convenience and clarity. "Small Logic" or "Large Logic" are names used to distinguish these two types of logic, not Hegel's original titles. Because this book is titled Logic, mentioning "Logic" immediately brings to mind the "Large Logic." I would like to briefly discuss the differences and characteristics of the two here for the reader's reference. The Large Logic is divided into two volumes. The first volume includes "Ontology" and "Essence," which Hegel calls "objective logic." It was published in 1812, and the Grote edition has 721 pages. The second volume focuses solely on "Concept," which Hegel calls "subjective logic." It was published in 1816, and the Grote edition has 353 pages. Both were written during Hegel's time as a school principal in Rosenburg. The strengths of this book lie in its profound thought, specialized focus, rigorous system, and thorough elaboration. It can also be said to be the most academic of Hegel's entire works. He seems to have intentionally demonstrated his scientific knowledge, adding many scientific materials, especially mathematical ones. In the "Theory of Quantity," the discussion of quantity alone occupies about 200 pages (in Logic, the material on quantity is only about 19 pages), making the overall distribution uneven. He never revised the book after its publication until preparing the second edition in winter 1831. Seven days after completing the preface to the second edition (November 14), he died of cholera. Hegel's Logic is a key component of his Encyclopedia of Philosophy and was originally intended as lecture notes for students. It was published in 1817, with a second edition in 1827, doubling the content. A third edition came out in 1830, adding only 8 pages compared to the second edition (according to the Grote edition, it has 452 pages, more than half the length of the Large Logic). This shows that Logic was carefully revised and expanded over the last decade of Hegel's life, fully representing his mature logical system in his later years. It can be seen as a summary and elaboration of the Large Logic. Its strengths lie in capturing the overall outline and key points of the system, distributing materials evenly, and presenting concise, dense text with profound meaning. At first glance, it may seem difficult to understand, but upon careful reflection, it reveals endless depth, inspiring deep thought. His students, when compiling his complete works after his death, added lecture notes as supplementary annotations, giving the book a clearer and more engaging quality. In terms of content distribution, the Large Logic has 478 pages on "Ontology" (including over 60 pages of preface and introduction), 243 pages on "Essence," and 353 pages on "Concept." It overemphasizes "Ontology" and includes too much mathematical material when discussing quantity. Logic, on the other hand, has a preface, introduction, and discussions on the nature and methods of logic, as well as critiques of the three attitudes toward objectivity, totaling 200 pages. "Ontology" is only 60 pages, "Essence" is 92 pages, and "Concept" is 100 pages. There is no imbalance in the distribution. Comparing the two works, we find the following characteristics: Materials present in the Large Logic but absent in Logic can be omitted. Materials present in both books require thorough and comprehensive study. Materials present in Logic but absent in the Large Logic represent Hegel's later, more mature thoughts and are worth special attention. For example, Logic's discussion of the nature and methods of logic is more detailed than in the Large Logic. Topics such as the three attitudes toward objectivity and the reasoning of concepts are also absent or rarely found in the Large Logic and are particularly noteworthy. (Omitted)
I began translating Hegel's Logic in the spring of 1941, but due to external disturbances and lack of focus, I only completed half of the book by the time Beijing was liberated—about 11,000 to 12,000 words. After liberation, studying Marxism-Leninism and participating in philosophical exchange meetings and forums for critiquing old philosophy (which were held every two weeks) provided me with new insights and inspiration, enabling me to complete the entire translation in just six months. After finishing the translation, I had someone rewrite the manuscript and asked friends to proofread it. After their corrections, I proofread the entire manuscript myself, which took another six months. The three prefaces and the introductory speech at the beginning of the book were particularly difficult to translate, and without an English reference, the task was even more challenging. In addition to having Feng Zhi review the manuscript once, Wang Taqing also reviewed it. The first half of the translation was reviewed by Zheng Xin and Chen Zhennan. They corrected many errors. Additionally, before liberation, Wang Zisong, Chen Xiuzhai, and Xie Bangding had read the first half of my translation. During the academic year 1949–1950, I taught "Studies in Hegel's Philosophy" at Peking University, with classmates such as Yang Xianbang, Zhang Qizhi, Yang Zutao, Chen Shifu, and Mei Deyu, as well as Wang Taqing and Xu Jiachang. In the first semester, we studied Logic, and in the second semester, we studied Lenin's Summary of Hegel's Book. They all read my translation, and some classmates even compared it with English or German editions to write reading reports. Their careful consideration of terminology and translation contributed valuable suggestions. Furthermore, over the three years since its publication by Commercial Press, I have had some interactions with readers and received encouragement and assistance from many of them. To further reduce errors in this new edition of Logic and to improve the translation of Hegel's other important works, I hope to maintain more contact with readers and receive their continued help.