Little Logic Ping (Translation of Famous Works)

Author: (German) Hegel
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1980-07-19
Features: Logic for Beginners primarily includes four parts: "Preliminary Definitions of Logical Concepts," "Ontology," "Essence," and "Conceptology." Hegel uses the qualities of quality, quantity, and measure from "Ontology" as the factual basis for his arguments, while the Absolute Idea from "Conceptology" serves as the ultimate result of his reasoning. The fundamental idea is to explore the relationship between thinking (the 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 sought by empiricists. He emphasized that empiricists are confined to finite empirical categories, so in his view, anything empiricists describe as "real" is 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 for Beginners prominently discusses the issue of the "Idea." According to Hegel, the "Idea" is the absolute unity of the subjective and objective aspects. He precisely defined it as the "self-sufficient Idea," or the "Absolute Idea." This concept traces back to ancient Greek philosophical thought. 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 the Idea to create the world. Later, Aristotle considered the highest form of the Idea to be pure thought or thought thinking itself, viewing it as something divine. However, after the reaction against medieval theological systems, i.e., the Renaissance, Hegel in the 19th century armed the Idea with his distinctive absolutist philosophical thinking, elevating Western idealism to a new height. Hegel also applied dialectics throughout Logic for Beginners. In terms of structure, the four main chapters of the book, each consisting of three chapters, are arranged according to the famous "three unities of logic." This structure reflects, to some extent, the main characteristics of Hegel's dialectics—thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Hegel's dialectics did not arise from mere fabrication. Based on an overview of modern philosophical development, he proposed three processes of logical thinking:
1. Understanding (Verstand): It insists that things are either this or that, completely opposed.
2. Dialectical Reason (Dialektischer Verstand): It breaks down the boundaries of opposition between things, recognizing the possibility of mutual transformation.
3. Speculative Reason (Spekulative Vernunft): It achieves the unity of knowledge through the mutual transformation of opposing things.
Thus, 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 for Beginners. Moreover, the dialectical method of transitioning from the thesis to the antithesis and then to the synthesis undoubtedly became the fundamental method for constructing Hegel's entire philosophical system.