shorter logic-第42章

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Beginning　as　abstractly　thought；　or　with　Beginning　as　such；　and　then　analyse　this
representation；　and　perhaps　people　would　more　readily　admit；　as　a　result　of　this
analysis；　that　Being　and　Nothing　present　themselves　as　undivided　in　unity。　

（4）　It　remains　to　note　that　such　phrases　as　'Being　and　Nothing　are　the　same'。；　or
'The　unity　of　Being　and　Nothing'　…　like　all　other　such　unities；　that　of　subject　and
object；　and　others　…　give　rise　to　reasonable　objection。　They　misrepresent　the　facts
by　giving　an　exclusive　prominence　to　the　unity　and　leaving　the　difference　which
undoubtedly　exists　in　it　（because　it　is　Being　and　Nothing；　for　example；　the　unity　of
which　is　declared）　without　any　express　mention　or　notice。　It　accordingly　seems　as
if　diversity　had　been　unduly　put　out　of　court　and　neglected。　The　fact　is；　no
speculative　principle　can　be　correctly　expressed　by　any　such　propositional　form；
for　the　unity　has　to　be　conceived　in　the　diversity；　which　is　all　the　while　present
and　explicit。　

'To　become'　is　the　true　expression　for　the　resultant　of　'to　be'　and　'not　to　be'；　it　is
the　unity　of　the　two；　but　not　only　is　it　the　unity；　it　is　also　inherent　unrest　…　the
unity；　which　is　no　mere　reference…to…self　and　therefore　without　movement；　but
which　through　the　diversity　of　Being　and　Nothing　that　is　in　it；　is　at　war　with　itself。
Determinate　Being　on　the　other　hand；　is　this　unity；　or　Becoming　in　this　form　of
unity：　hance　all　that　'is　there　and　so'　is　one…sided　and　finite。　The　opposition
between　the　two　factors　seems　to　have　vanished；　it　is　only　implied　in　the　unity；　it
is　not　explicitly　put　in　it。　

（5）　The　maxim　of　Becoming；　that　Being　is　the　passage　into　Nought；　and　Nought
the　passage　into　Being；　is　controverted　by　the　maxim　of　Pantheism；　the　doctrine
of　the　eternity　of　matter；　that　from　nothing　comes　nothing；　and　that　something
can　only　come　out　of　something。　The　ancients　saw　plainly　that　the　maxim；　'From
nothing　comes　nothing；　from　something　something'；　really　abolishes　Becoming：
for　what　it　comes　from　and　what　it　becomes　are　one　and　the　same。　Thus
explained；　the　proposition　is　the　maxim　of　abstract　identity　as　upheld　by　the
understanding。　It　cannot　but　seem　strange；　therefore；　to　hear　such　maxims　as　'Out
of　nothing　comes　nothing：　Out　of　something　comes　something'　calmly　taught　in
these　days；　without　the　teacher　being　in　the　least　aware　that　they　are　the　basis　of
Pantheism；　and　even　without　his　knowing　that　the　ancients　have　exhausted　all　that
is　to　be　said　about　them。　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　88n

Becoming　is　the　first　concrete　thought；　and　therefore　the　first　notion：　whereas　Being　and　Nought
are　empty　abstractions。　The　notion　of　Being；　therefore；　of　which　we　sometimes　speak；　must　mean
Becoming；　not　the　mere　point　of　Being；　which　is　empty　Nothing；　any　more　than　Nothing；　which　is
empty　Being》　in　Being　then　we　have　Nothing；　and　in　Nothing；　Being；　but　this　Being　which　does
not　lose　itself　in　Nothing　is　Becoming。　Nor　must　we　omit　the　distinction；　while　we　emphasise　the
unity　of　Becoming；　without　that　distinction　we　should　once　more　return　to　abstract　Being。
Becoming　is　only　the　explicit　statement　of　what　Being　is　in　its　truth。　

We　often　hear　it　maintained　that　thought　is　opposed　to　being。　Now；　in　the　face　of　such　a
statement；　our　first　question　ought　to　be；　what　is　meant　by　being。　If　we　understand　being　as　it　is
defined　by　reflection；　all　that　we　can　say　of　it　is　what　is　wholly　identical　and　affirmative。　And　if　we
then　look　at　thought；　it　cannot　escape　us　that　thought　also　is　at　least　what　is　absolutely　identical
with　itself。　Both　therefore；　being　as　well　as　thought；　have　the　same　attribute。　This　identity　of　being
and　thought　is　not　however　to　be　taken　in　a　concrete　sense；　as　if　we　could　say　that　a　stone；　so　far
as　it　has　being；　is　the　same　as　a　thinking　man。　A　concrete　thing　is　always　very　different　from　the
abstract　category　as　such。　And　in　the　case　of　being；　we　are　speaking　of　nothing　concrete：　for　being
is　the　utterly　abstract。　So　far　then　the　question　regarding　the　being　of　God　…　a　being　which　is　in
itself　concrete　above　all　measure　…　is　of　slight　importance。　

As　the　first　concrete　thought…form；　Becoming　is　the　first　adequate　vehicle　of　truth。　In　the　history　of
philosophy；　this　stage　of　the　logical　Idea　finds　its　analogue　in　the　system　of　Heraclitus。　When
Heraclitus　says　'All　is　flowing'；　he　enunciates　Becoming　as　the　fundamental　feature　of　all　existence；
whereas　the　Eleatics；　as　already　remarked；　saw　only　truth　in　Being；　rigid　processless　Being。
Glancing　at　the　principle　of　the　Eleatics；　Heraclitus　then　goes　on　to　say：　Being　is　no　more　than
not…Being；　a　statement　expressing　the　negativity　of　abstract　Being；　and　its　identity　with　not…Being；
as　made　explicit　in　Becoming；　both　abstractions　being　alike　untenable。　This　may　be　looked　upon
as　the　real　refutation　of　one　system　by　another。　To　refute　a　philosophy　is　to　exhibit　the　dialectical
movement　in　its　principle；　and　thus　reduce　it　to　a　constituent　member　of　a　higher　concrete　form　of
the　Idea。　

Even　Becoming　however；　taken　at　its　best　on　its　own　ground；　is　an　extremely　poor　term：　it　needs
to　grow　in　depth　and　weight　of　meaning。　Such　deepened　force　we　find　e。g。　in　Life。　Life　is　a
Becoming　but　that　is　not　enough　to　exhaust　the　notion　of　life。　A　still　higher　form　is　found　in　Mind。
Here　too　is　Becoming；　but　richer　and　more　intensive　than　mere　logical　Becoming。　The　elements
whose　unity　constitute　mind　are　not　the　bare　abstracts　of　Being　and　Nought；　but　the　system　of　the
logical　Idea　and　of　Nature。　



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（b）　Being　Determinate
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　89

In　Becoming；　the　Being　which　is　one　with　Nothing；　and　the　Nothing　which　is　one
with　Being；　are　only　vanishing　factors；　they　are　and　they　are　not。　Thus　by　its
inherent　contradiction　Becoming　collapses　into　the　unity　in　which　the　two
elements　are　absorbed。　This　result　is　accordingly　Being　Determinate　（Being
there　and　so）。　

In　this　first　example　we　must　call　to　mind；　once　for　all；　＇that＇：　the　only　way　to
secure　any　growth　and　progress　in　knowledge　is　to　hold　results　fast　in　their　truth。
There　is　absolutely　nothing　whatever　in　which　we　cannot　and　must　not　point　to
contradictions　or　opposite　attributes；　and　the　abstraction　made　by　understanding
therefore　means　a　forcible　insistence　on　a　single　aspect；　and　a　real　effort　to
obscure　and　remove　all　consciousness　of　the　other　attribute　which　is　involved。
Whenever　such　contradiction；　then；　is　discovered　in　any　object　or　notion；　the
usual　inference　is；　Hence　this　object　is　nothing。　

Thus　Zeno；　who　first　showed　the　contradiction　native　to　motion；　concluded　that
there　is　no　motion；　and　the　ancients；　who　recognised　origin　and　decease；　the　two
species　of　Becoming；　as　untrue　categories；　made　use　of　the　expression　that　the
One　or　Absolute　neither　arises　not　perishes。　Such　a　style　of　dialectic　looks　only　at
the　negative　aspect　of　its　result；　and　fails　to　notice；　what　is　at　the　same　time　really
present；　the　definite　result；　in　the　present　case　a　pure　nothing；　but　a　Nothing
which　includes　Being；　and；　in　like　manner；　a　Being　which　includes　Nothing。
Hence　Being　Determinate　is　（1）　the　unity　of　Being　and　Nothing；　in　which　we　get
rid　of　the　immediacy　in　these　determinations；　and　their　contradiction　vanishes　in
their　mutual　connection　…　the　unity　in　which　they　are　only　constituent　elements。
And　（2）　since　the　result　is　the　abolition　of　the　contradiction；　it　comes　in　the　shape
of　a　simple　unity　with　itself：　that　is　to　say；　it　also　is　Being　with　negation　or
determinateness：　it　is　Becoming　expressly　put　in　the　form　of　one　of　its　elements；
viz。；　Being。　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　89n

Even　our　ordinary　conception　of　Becoming　implies　that　somewhat　comes　out　of　it；　and　that
Becoming　therefore　has　a　result。　But　this　conception　gives　rise　to　the　question；　how　Becoming
does　not　remain　mere　Becoming；　but　has　a　result？　

The　answer　to　this　question　follows　from　what　Becoming　has　already　shown　itself　to　be。　Becoming
always　contains　Being　and　Nothing　in　such　a　way；　that　these　two　are　always　changing　into　each
other；　and　reciprocally　cancelling　each　other。　Thus　Beco