Synthesis philosophica, Vol. 22 No. 1, 2007.
Original scientific paper
Negativity. Hegel’s solution of the systemic question in the foreword of the Phenomenology of Spirit
Christoph Asmuth
Abstract
The great idea, which was portrayed and expounded in the Phenomenology of Spirit, consists in the unveiling of the meaning of negativity. Negativity, in this context, is more than just a formal procedure. Negativity, indeed, is a concept that characterizes reality itself. On the one hand, negativity portrays reality as something subjective, for negativity as a principle formulates the positioning of the real in a self-relationship through the process of negation. On the other hand, negativity portrays reality as tense, painful and ephemeral. Hegel primarily comes to this idea through his discussions with Fichte and Schelling. In spite of the valid analysis of whether Hegel’s critique is justified, the argumentative strength of this concept can still be assessed: it depends on the attention turned towards concrete phenomena, their specific differences and their substantial unity, which are, through that attention, made more accessible to reasonable understanding.
Keywords
Negativity; Johann Gottlieb Fichte; Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling; pain; reason; system; difference; subjectivism; unity; determination
Hrčak ID:
16500
URI
Publication date:
6.8.2007.
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