Philosophy Lectures Volume III

Author: Hegel
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-06-01
Features: Postscript: This translation is based on the seventeenth volume of the "Collected Works of Hegel" (hereafter referred to as the Glockner edition), which was reprinted in 1928 by Hermann Glockner to commemorate the centenary of Hegel's death. The Glockner edition was, in turn, reprinted from the Michaelis edition. The Michaelis edition (Karl Ludwig Michaelis) was compiled from three manuscripts and outlines of Hegel's lectures on the history of philosophy, as well as three student notes, and was published in 1833. Its volume is also the German edition of the "Collected Works of Hegel," hereafter referred to as the Michaelis edition. Additionally, we referred to the English translation of Hegel's "History of Philosophy" by translator ESHaldane, published in 1892. Haldane's English translation was based on the revised German second edition of 1840. However, we did not obtain the original German second edition of the Michaelis edition. Glockner reprinted the Michaelis edition rather than the second edition, and we translated based on the Glockner edition, using the English translation as a reference, because the edition has some advantages over the second edition. The edition is slightly longer than the second edition, contains more substantial material, and is closer to the original wording of Hegel's lectures, as it records and preserves all the off-topic remarks Hegel inserted spontaneously during his lectures. The second edition has been heavily edited by the compiler Michaelis, with better organization and smoother text, but it deviates slightly from the original state of Hegel's lectures. Moreover, it is particularly important that the "History of Philosophy" with summaries and notes read by Engels and Lenin is based on the Michaelis edition rather than the second edition. Although the two editions differ significantly in organization, their content is basically the same. When translating based on the Glockner edition, we found some omissions or unclear expressions, and the English translation provided some assistance. It must be noted that the English translation contains many errors, especially in the sections on Eastern philosophy and in places with deeper philosophical significance. The page numbers of the German original (Michaelis edition, Vol. 13) printed in the margins of the Chinese translation correspond to the page numbers cited in Lenin's "Philosophical Notes." Additionally, we referred to the 1940 edition of Hegel's "History of Philosophy" volume by Johannes H?ffemeister, which was completely rearranged based on original materials. The H?ffemeister edition separately prints Hegel's manuscripts from his Heidelberg and Berlin periods (mainly in the introduction), widely collects twelve types of student notes on Hegel's "History of Philosophy" from libraries around the world (one from the Leningrad Library, one from the Polish Library, and an outline manuscript copied from the Harvard University Library in the United States), arranges them, and marks the chronological order. Because Hegel delivered the "History of Philosophy" nine times in his life, up to 1830 (he began delivering the tenth lecture in November 1831 but died after only two hours). However, the H?ffemeister edition only provides raw materials for in-depth research and cannot serve as a basis for translation. Moreover, to this day, we have only seen the first volume, which covers Eastern philosophy. Any additions based on the H?ffemeister edition in this translation are marked with [ ] and explained by the translator. We incorporated a significant amount of material on Eastern philosophy, especially on Chinese philosophy, from the H?ffemeister edition into the Chinese translation. Since we referred to and selectively adopted material from the English translation and the H?ffemeister edition to enrich and correct the Glockner edition, it can be said that the content of this Chinese translation is richer than both the German edition and the second edition of the English translation. The translation of Hegel's "History of Philosophy" was organized by the Department of the History of Foreign Philosophy at the Peking University Philosophy Department. The introduction (parts A and B) was translated by He Lin, while part C was translated by Wang Taiqing. Eastern philosophy was translated from the English edition by Wang Weicheng, later revised by Wang Taiqing based on the German text, and supplemented by He Lin based on the H?ffemeister edition. The introduction, the Seven Sages, Ionian philosophy, and Pythagorean philosophy in Greek philosophy were translated or compiled by Wang Taiqing. The Eleatic school, Leucippus, and Democritus were translated by He Lin, while Heraclitus and Empedocles were translated by Yang Zutao, and Anaxagoras philosophy was translated by Fang Shuchun. The entire translation was proofread by Zong Baihua and Fang Shuchun based on the German text. He Lin and Wang Taiqing, in addition to proofreading the translations of other colleagues, were also responsible for the final arrangement and editing. Marking the original page numbers from the German edition on the margins of the book and compiling an index of important names and places were the work of Wang Taiqing. In this book, we strive for consistency in terminology. In a few cases where terms have multiple meanings, different Chinese translations are used in different places, and these were decided upon through collective discussion. Additionally, Comrade Tang Yongtong read the translation of the Eastern philosophy section, Comrade Feng Youlan read the translation of the Chinese philosophy section, Comrade Chen Xiuchqi read the introduction section, and Comrade Miao Litian read most of the translation, all of whom provided valuable suggestions. Translating classic works of philosophy with collective effort is still a preliminary attempt. If there are any inappropriate places in the translation, we hope readers will provide more suggestions.