Lectures on the History of Philosophy (Volume 1)

Author: Hegel
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1959-09-01
Features: Postscript: This translation is based on the seventeenth volume of the German edition of "Hegel's Complete Works" (hereafter referred to as the Glockner edition) republished in 1928 by Hermann Glockner to commemorate the centenary of Hegel's death. The Glockner edition was, in turn, reprinted based on 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," hereafter referred to as the Michaelis edition. Additionally, we referred to the English translation of Hegel's "History of Philosophy," translated by E.S. Haldane, 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 Michaelis. Glockner reprinted based on the Michaelis edition, not the second edition, and we translated based on the Glockner edition, using the English translation only 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 even the off-the-cuff remarks Hegel inserted into his lectures. The second edition was heavily edited by the compiler Michaelis, with better organization or smoother text, but it deviates slightly from the original form of Hegel's lectures. Moreover, it is particularly important that the "History of Philosophy" read by Engels and Lenin, with summaries and notes, was the Michaelis edition, not 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 points, and the English translation provided some assistance. It must be noted that the English translation has 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 Hofmeister, which was completely reorganized based on original materials. Hofmeister's edition separately published Hegel's manuscripts from his Heidelberg and Berlin periods (primarily the introduction) and outlines, while also extensively collecting twelve student notes on Hegel's "History of Philosophy" from libraries around the world (one from the Leningrad Library, one from the Polish Library, and a manuscript outline copied from the Harvard University Library in the United States). It was compiled and annotated with chronological markers. Since Hegel delivered the "History of Philosophy" nine times in his life (beginning in November 1831, he lectured for only two hours before his death in 1831). However, Hofmeister's 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 volume, covering the Eastern philosophy section. Any additions based on Hofmeister's 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 Hofmeister's edition into the Chinese translation. Since we referred to and selectively adopted materials from the English translation and Hofmeister's 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 Hofmeister's edition. The introduction, the Seven Sages, Ionian philosophy, and the Pythagorean school in Greek philosophy were translated or compiled by Wang Taiqing from the translations of other colleagues. The Eleatic school, Leucippus, and Democritus were translated by He Lin, while Heraclitus and Empedocles were translated by Yang Zutao, and the philosophy of Anaxagoras was translated by Fang Shuchun. The entire translation was reviewed by Zong Baihua and Fang Shuchun based on the German text. He Lin and Wang Taiqing, in addition to reviewing the translations of other colleagues, 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 parts, 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 to the history of philosophy, and Comrade Miao Litian read most of the translation, all of whom provided valuable suggestions. Translating classic works on the history of philosophy using collective effort is still a preliminary attempt. If there are any shortcomings in the translation, we hope readers will offer constructive feedback.
Opening Address
Lectures on the History of Philosophy
Introduction Part I
Greek Philosophy
Introduction
Part A
The Concept of the History of Philosophy
The General Idea of the History of Philosophy
An Adequate Explanation of the History of Philosophy
The Consequences of the Concept of the History of Philosophy
Part B
The Relationship Between Philosophy and Other Knowledge
Historical Connections
Differences Between Philosophy and Other Related Disciplines
The Origin of Philosophy and the History of Philosophy
Part C
Periodization of the History of Philosophy, Sources of Materials, and Methodology
Periodization of the History of Philosophy
Sources of Materials for This Philosophy
The Method of Presentation in This Philosophy
Eastern Philosophy
Part A
Chinese Philosophy
Confucius
The I Ching
Philosophy of the Taoists
Part B
Indian Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy
The Philosophy of Gau?apāda and Nāgārjuna
Part A
The Hope Philosophy
Introduction
The Seven Sages
Period I: From Thales to Aristotle
Chapter
Stage I: From Thales to Anaxagoras
Part A
Ionian Philosophy
Thales
Anaximander
Anaximenes
Part B
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Part C
The Eleatic School
Part D
Heraclitus
Part E
Empedocles, Leucippus, and Democritus
Part F
Anaxagoras
Translator's Postscript
Index of Names