Lectures on the History of Philosophy (Volume 2)

Author: (German) Hegel
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1997-02-01
Features: Postscript
This translation is based on the seventeenth volume of the German edition of "Hegel's Complete Works" (reprinted in 1928 by Hermann Glockner to commemorate the centennial of Hegel's death), which is hereinafter referred to as the Glockner edition. The Glockner edition was itself reprinted from the Michaelis edition. The Michaelis (Karl Ludwig Michaelis) edition 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 "Hegel's Complete Works," hereinafter referred to as the Michaelis edition. Additionally, we referred to the English translation of Hegel's "History of Philosophy" by E.S. Haldane, published in 1892. Haldane's English translation was based on the second German edition of 1840, revised by Michaelis. However, we did not obtain the original German text of the second Michaelis edition. Glockner reprinted the Michaelis edition, not the second edition of Michaelis, and we translated based on the Glockner edition, using the English translation as a reference, because the edition has certain advantages over the second edition. The edition is slightly longer than the second edition, contains more substantial material, and is closer to Hegel's original lecture wording, as it records and preserves even the off-the-cuff remarks Hegel inserted into his lectures. The second edition was heavily edited by the compiler Michaelis, with better organization and smoother text, but it deviates somewhat from the original state of Hegel's lectures. Moreover, it is particularly important that the "History of Philosophy" read by Engels and Lenin, which includes summaries and notes, 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. While translating based on the Glockner edition, we found some omissions or unclear passages, 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, volume 13) printed in the margins of this 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 Hofmeister, which was completely reorganized based on original materials. The Hofmeister edition separately prints Hegel's manuscripts from his Heidelberg and Berlin periods (primarily the introduction), compiles twelve types of student notes on Hegel's "History of Philosophy" collected from libraries worldwide (one from the Leningrad Library, one from the Polish Library, and an outline manuscript copied from the Harvard University Library in the United States), and also indicates the chronological order. Hegel delivered the "History of Philosophy" nine times in his lifetime (beginning in November 1831, he delivered the tenth lecture for only two hours before his death). However, the Hofmeister edition only provides raw materials for in-depth research and cannot serve as a basis for translation. Moreover, to date, we have only seen the first volume, which covers Eastern philosophy. Any additions based on the Hofmeister edition in this translation are marked with [ ] and accompanied by explanations from the translator. We incorporated a significant amount of material on Eastern philosophy, especially on Chinese philosophy, from the Hofmeister edition into the Chinese translation. Since we referred to and selectively adopted material from the English translation and the Hofmeister 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 English edition. 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 Hofmeister edition. The introduction, the Seven Sages, Ionian philosophy, and Pythagorean philosophy in Greek philosophy were translated or compiled by Wang Taiqing from the translations of other comrades. 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 comrades, were also responsible for the final arrangement and editing. Marking the original page numbers from the German edition in the margins and compiling an index of important names and places were tasks undertaken by Wang Taiqing. In this book, we strove for consistency in terminology, and in cases where certain terms have multiple meanings and were translated differently in various places, this was decided 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 offer more suggestions. This book includes Greek philosophy, (continued), Chapter 2: The Second Stage of the Classical Period—From the Sophists to the Socratic School, Part A: The Sophists, Protagoras, Gorgias, Part B: Socrates, The Socratic Method, The Principle of Good, The Fate of Socrates, Part C: The Socratic School, The Megarian School, Euclid, Eudoxus, Strabo, The Cyrenaic School, Aristippus, Demodorus.