shorter logic-第48章

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becomes　what　it　already　was　implicitly：　and　thus　we　get　Being　thrown　into　abeyance　and
absorbed；　with　its　several　characteristics　negatived。　Such　Being　is　Essence。　Measure　is　implicitly
Essence；　and　its　process　consists　in　realising　what　it　is　implicitly。　The　ordinary　consciousness
conceives　things　as　being；　and　studies　them　in　quality；　quantity；　and　measure。　These　immediate
characteristics；　however；　soon　show　themselves　to　be　not　fixed　but　transient；　and　Essence　is　the
result　of　their　dialectic。　

In　the　sphere　of　Essence　one　category　does　not　pass　into　another；　but　refers　to　another　merely。　In
Being；　the　forms　of　reference　is　purely　due　to　our　reflection　on　what　takes　place：　but　it　is　the
special　and　proper　characteristic　of　Essence。　In　the　sphere　of　Being；　when　somewhat　becomes
another；　the　somewhat　has　vanished。　Not　so　in　Essence：　here　there　is　no　real　other；　but　only
diversity；　reference　of　the　one　to　its　other。　The　transition　of　Essence　is　therefore　at　the　same　time
no　transition：　for　in　the　passage　of　different　into　different；　the　different　does　not　vanish：　the　different
terms　remain　in　their　relation。　When　we　speak　of　Being　and　Nought；　Being　is　independent；　so　is
Nought。　The　case　is　otherwise　with　the　Positive　and　the　Negative。　No　doubt　these　possess　the
characteristic　of　Being　and　Nought。　But　the　Positive　by　itself　has　no　sense；　it　is　wholly　in　reference
to　the　negative。　And　it　is　the　same　with　the　negative。　In　the　sphere　of　Being　the　reference　of　one
term　to　another　is　only　implicit；　in　Essence　on　the　contrary　it　is　explicit。　And　this　in　general　is　the
distinction　between　the　forms　of　Being　and　Essence：　in　Being　everything　is　immediate；　in　Essence
everything　is　relative。　




Second　Subdivision　of　The　Logic；
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VIII。　ESSENCE

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　112
The　terms　in　Essence　are　always　mere　pairs　of　correlatives；　and　yet　not
absolutely　reflected　in　themselves：　hence　in　essence　the　actual　unity　of　the　notion
is　not　yet　realised；　but　only　postulated　by　reflection。　Essence　…　which　is　Being
coming　into　mediation　with　itself　through　the　negativity　of　itself　…　is
self…relatedness；　only　in　so　far　as　it　is　relation　to　an　Other　…　this　Other　however
coming　to　view　at　first　not　as　something　which　is；　but　as　postulated　and
hypothesised。　

Being　has　not　vanished：　but；　firstly；　Essence；　as　simple　self…relation；　is　Being；　and
secondly　as　regards　its　one…sided　characteristic　of　immediacy；　Being　is　deposed　to
a　mere　negative；　to　a　seeming　or　reflected　light　…　Essence　accordingly　is　Being
thus　reflecting　light　into　itself。　

The　Absolute　is　the　Essence。　This　is　the　same　definition　as　the　previous　one　that
the　Absolute　is　Being；　in　so　far　as　Being　likewise　is　simple　self…relation。　But　it　is　at
the　same　time　higher；　because　Essence　is　Being　that　has　gone　into　itself：　that　is　to
say；　the　simple　self…relation　（in　Being）　is　expressly　put　as　negation　of　the　negative
is　immanent　self…mediation。　Unfortunately；　when　the　Absolute　is　defined　to　be
Essence；　the　negativity　which　this　implies　is　often　taken　only　to　mean　the
withdrawal　of　all　determinate　predicates。　This　negative　action　of　withdrawal　or
abstraction　thus　falls　outside　of　the　Essence　…　which　is　thus　left　as　a　mere　result
apart　from　its　premises　…　the　caput　mortuum　of　abstraction。　But　as　this　negativity；
instead　of　being　external　to　Being；　is　its　own　dialectic；　the　truth　of　the　latter；　viz。；
Essence；　will　be　Being　as　retired　within　itself　…　immanent　Being。　

That　reflection；　or　light　thrown　into　itself；　constitutes　the　distinction　between
Essence　and　immediate　Being；　and　is　the　peculiar　characteristic　of　Essence　itself。　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　112n

Any　mention　of　Essence　implies　that　we　distinguish　it　from　Being：　the　latter　is　immediate；　and；
compared　with　the　Essence；　we　look　upon　it　as　mere　seeming。　But　this　seeming　is　not　an　utter
nonentity　and　nothing　at　all；　but　Being　superseded　and　put　by。　The　point　of　view　given　by　the
Essence　is　in　general　the　standpoint　of　'Reflection'。　This　word　'reflection'　is　originally　applied；　when
a　ray　of　light　in　a　straight　line　impinging　upon　the　surface　of　a　mirror　is　thrown　back　from　it。　In　this
phenomenon　we　have　two　things　…　first　an　immediate　fact　which　is；　and　secondly　the　deputed；
derivated；　or　transmitted　phase　of　the　same。　Something　of　this　sort　takes　place　when　we　reflect；　or
think　upon　an　object：　for　here　we　want　to　know　the　object；　not　in　its　immediacy；　but　as　derivative
or　mediated。　The　problem　or　aim　of　philosophy　is　often　represented　as　the　ascertainment　of　the
essence　of　things：　a　phrase　which　only　means　that　things；　instead　of　being　left　in　their　immediacy；
must　be　shown　to　be　mediated　by；　or　based　upon；　something　else。　The　immediate　Being　of　things
is　thus　conceived　under　the　image　of　a　rind　or　curtain　behind　which　the　Essence　is　hidden。　
？

Everything；　it　is　said；　has　an　Essence；　that　is；　things　really　are　not　what　they　immediately　show
themselves。　There　is　something　more　to　be　done　than　merely　rove　from　one　quality　to　another；　and
merely　to　advance　from　qualitative　to　quantitative；　and　vice　versa：　there　is　a　permanence　in　things；
and　that　permanence　is　in　the　first　instance　their　Essence。　

With　respect　to　other　meanings　and　uses　of　the　category　of　Essence；　we　may　note　that　in　the
German　auxiliary　verb；　sein　（to　be）；　the　past　tense　is　expressed　by　the　term　for　Essence　（wesen）：
we　designate　past　being　as　gewesen。　This　anomaly　of　language　implies　to　some　extent　a　correct
perception　of　the　relation　between　Being　and　Essence。　Essence　we　may　certainly　regard　as　past
Being；　remembering　however　meanwhile　that　the　past　is　not　utterly　denied；　but　only　laid　aside　and
thus　at　the　same　time　preserved。　

。。。　the　category　of　Essence　is　often　liable　to　an　abstract　use；　by　which；　in　the　study　of　anything；　its
Essence　is　held　to　be　something　unaffected　by；　and　subsisting　in　independence　of；　its　definite
phenomenal　embodiment。　Thus　we　say；　for　example；　of　people；　that　the　great　thing　is　not　what
they　do　or　how　they　behave；　but　what　they　are。　This　is　correct；　if　it　means　that　a　man's　conduct
should　be　looked　at；　not　in　its　immediacy；　but　only　as　it　is　explained　by　his　inner　self；　and　as　a
relevation　of　that　inner　self。　Still　it　should　be　remembered　that　the　only　means　by　which　the
Essence　and　the　inner　self　can　be　verified　is　their　appearance　in　outward　reality；　whereas　the
appeal　which　men　make　to　the　essential　life；　as　distinct　from　the　material　facts　of　conduct；　is
generally　prompted　by　a　desire　to　assert　their　own　subjectivity　and　to　elude　an　absolute　and
objective　judgement。　



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　113
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Identity

Self…relation　in　Essence　is　the　form　of　Identity　or　of　reflection…into…self；　which
has　here　taken　the　place　of　the　immediacy　of　Being。　They　are　both　the　same
abstraction　…　self…relation。　

The　unintelligence　of　sense；　to　take　everything　limited　and　finite　for　Being；　passes
into　the　obstinacy　of　understanding；　which　views　the　finite　as　self…identical；　not
inherently　self…contradictory。　



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Unessential
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　§　114
This　identity；　as　it　descended　from　Being；　appears　in　the　first　place　only　charged
with　the　characteristics　of　Being；　and　referred　to　Being　as　to　something　external。
This　external　Being；　if　taken　in　separation　from　the　true　Being　（of　Essence）；　is
called　the　Unessential。　But　that　turns　out　to　be　a　mistake。　Because　Essence　is
Being…in…self；　it　is　essential　only　to　the　extent　that　it　has　in　itself　its　negative；　i。e。
reference　to　another；　or　mediation。　Consequently；　it　has　the　unessential　as　its　own
proper　seeming　（reflection）　in　itself。　But　in　seeming　or　mediation　there　is
distinction　involved：　and　since　what　is　distinguished　（as　distinguished　from　identity
out　of　which　it　arises；　and　in　which　it　is　not；　or　lies　as　seeming）　receives　itself　the
form　of　identity；　the　semblance　is　still　not　in　the　mode　of　Being；　or　of　self…related
immediacy。　

The　sphere　of　Essence　thus　turns　out　to　be　a　still　imperfect　combination　of
immediacy　and　mediation。　In　it　every　ter