Idea
versus Will
Dr.Abdul Lathief
In
"The Philosophy of
the Absolute Rational Will follows to sublate Hegel's
objective idealism and due to the method of the latter successfully sublates it."
"Hegel did not
examine the Will and its principle. For this reason, he failed to reveal the inner
dialectics of the principle of each intellectualistic philosophy - "Cognise yourself," - which in and through itself
overcomes itself to its true form in which it is only a moment of a higher
principle - the principle of Absolute Rational Will "Will yourself."
This is the internal contradiction which Hegel is not aware about".
"The objective
idealism - by and large the best achievement of philosophy so far, - makes the
principle of thinking “Cognise yourself” a principle
of the world. This is absolutely true; we accept it thoroughly. Nonetheless, as
we have already pointed out, it is a moment of the truly higher principle “Will
yourself”".
"Hegel's principle
is not the highest one; it is not the ultimate, the absolute determination. It
is only a moment subordinate to the higher principle "Will yourself,"
which Hegel failed to attain".
"Thus Hegelian
Concept - Reason, Spirit, - is not the highest principle of the absolute but
the entelechial Rational Will is. Hegel has every
right to claim that the reason, the spirit is the form
of forms. However, the good is infinitely more than that - it is the absolute
unity of form and matter. Rational Volition is higher than Hegel's absolute
concept (Notion) and contains in itself the latter as sublated"
"Hegel says that
Spirit is the self-knowing actual Idea. He failed to take into consideration
that although thinking is an immanent moment of the Absolute, it is not the
Absolute itself. Hegel's concept is the logical expression of the absolutely
actual material volition"
"In Hegel's
philosophy the end is without Volition; Hegel calls the end a Notion. Generally
speaking, we notice the lack of the principle of Will in Hegel's
philosophy."(Sublation of Hegel's
philosophy-preface)
First of all Hegel himself call his philosophy not Objective Idealism but a sublation of Subjective and Objective Idealism-Absolute Idealism.
"The position taken
up by the notion is that of absolute idealism" .(logic-$160n)
There are two Concepts of Absolute in Hegel's Encyclopedia.One is as Absolute Idea and the second is as Absolute Mind or Spirit.
Absolute Idea in Logic begins from Being and develop into Absolute Idea by passing through other Categories and sub categories.
Now in the final stage this Absolute Idea is the sublation of Life and Cognition(thought or intelligence and will).So the correct definition of this Absolute Idea is It is a Living,Thinking,Willing +(some new category) Idea.This means the Absolute Idea contain not only Life,Thought and Will as sublated but due to the result of this sublation or synthesis it also contain some new element.This is the higher Category Self . So the Absolute Idea of Hegel is a sublation of both Cognition proper(intelligence) and Volition(will).Absolute Idea as the highest Category is neither a subcategory as Cognition nor another category as Will but something higher than both and which include both as sublated in the new category Self .
So Absolute as Absolute Idea contains not only sublated knowledge(cognition proper )and will(volition) but also due to this sublation it contain a the higher category of Self .This is the beginning stage of the Self.The pulsating,throbbing Self. But in the initial stages as Absolute Idea the Self or is not in full distinction or fully separate from the non self or other preceding Categories.(from abstract being upto cognition proper and will).Even though at this stage there is more identification of the Self as Subject or"I" as distinct from all other categories no complete distinction or complete identification as Absolute Subject.So at this stage as Absolute Idea the Self also identify with Will(absolute idea as rational will) and Cognition(as thought or knowledge) and also with other Categories upto Abstract Being.This Absolute Idea Hegel describe as the Idea which Thinks Itself or as Thinking Idea.So Absolute Idea at this stage is as Thought and not yet as Absolute Thinker.Here there is no complete distinction between self and non self consciousness.This is the state of pure Thinking Idea or Thinking Thought or thinking consciousness which is not yet aware of this highest Category(absolute idea) as pure I (Ego,Subject) and all other preceding categories from Being upto Life and Cognition as MINE(non ego,its own other).So at this stage it is aware of only as Absolute Idea and all other categories are drowned in this Idea as this Absolute Idea develops out of all these categories.So as Absolute Idea the Self while distinguishing itself from all other categories also identifies with them as it's own Self.Only at the final stage of Absolute Idea, Absolute Subject ,I and Mine completed..Here the Absolute Idea develops as Pure Self or "I" or or Subject.In this process all the preceding Categories (from Being upto Will) becomes the contents or Predicates of this Subject.Here Subject is distinct and totally different from all these Predicates.They all become the Other,It's(subject's) own Other. This final stage is the highest Category but not yet as Absolute Spirit or Mind..This we may call the Transcendent aspect of the Absolute.
"The Idea, as unity
of the Subjective and Objective Idea, is the notion of the Idea - a notion
whose object (Gegenstand) is the Idea as such,
and for which the objective (Objekt) is Idea -
an Object which embraces all characteristics in its unity. This unity is
consequently the absolute and all truth, the Idea which thinks itself - and
here at least as a thinking or Logical Idea".-(logic-$236-)
"Seeing that there
is in it no transition , or presupposition, and in
general no specific character other than what is fluid and transparent, the
Absolute Idea is for itself the pure form of the notion, which contemplates its
contents as its own self. It is its own content , in so far as it ideally
distinguishes itself from itself, and the one of the two things distinguished
is a self-identity in which however is
contained the totality of the form as the system of terms describing its
content. This content is the system of Logic. All that is at this stage left as
form for the idea is the Method of this
content - the specific consciousness of the value and currency of the ‘moments’
in its development"-(logic-$237)
The Idea is truth in
itself and for itself - the absolute unity of the notion and objectivity -(logic$213)
While Intelligence merely
proposes to take the world as it is, Will takes steps to make the world what it
ought to be-(logic$234n.)
The reconciliation is
achieved when Will in its result returns to the presupposition made by
cognition. In other words, it consists in the unity of the theoretical and
practical idea. Will knows the end to be its own, and Intelligence apprehends
the world as the notion actual. This is the right attitude of rational
cognition-(logic-$234n)
But finitude was not
meant to be the ultimate point: and it is the process of Will itself which
abolishes finitude and the contradiction it involves. The reconciliation is
achieved when Will in its result returns to the presupposition made by
cognition. In other words, it consists in the unity of the theoretical and practical
idea. Will knows the end to be its own, and Intelligence apprehends the world
as the notion actual. This is the right attitude of rational
cognition.-(logicc-$234n)
All unsatisfied endeavour ceases, when we recognise
that the final purpose of the world is accomplished no less than ever
accomplishing itself.( logic-$234n)
Good, the final end of
the world, has being, only while it constantly produces itself. -(-logic-234n)
Thus the truth of the
Good is laid down as the unity of the theoretical and practical idea in the
doctrine that the Good is radically and really achieved, that the objective
world is in itself and for itself the Idea, just as it at the same time
eternally lays itself down as End, and by action brings about its
actuality-logic-$235)-
The second Concept of Hegel's Absolute is as Absolute Mind or Spirit.This is nothing but the manifestation and development of the Absolute Idea through Nature and Mind(philosophy of nature,philosophy of mind) into the complete or perfection of development resulting in Absolute Mind as Philosophic Mind.
As I called the Absolute Idea the Transcendental aspect of the Absolute I call this the Immanent aspect of Absolute.But as this Philosophic Mind is developed out of the Absolute Idea itself and since the immensity or whole or the fullness of the Absolute Idea is beyond complete manifestation I call this Philosophic Mind both partial Transcendence and complete Immanent aspect of the Absolute.
The Absolute Mind is the development of the Absolute Idea as Absolute Spirt.The detailed distinction between Subject and Predicates develops through manifestation as Nature and Mind.
This begins from Nature.In the beginning the first categories are its Other eg: Being.Towards the end when it reaches Philosophic Mind even it's last Categories like Cognition(knowledge) and Will(volition) becomes its own other.This develops through Space and Time and culminate in the development of Absolute Mind as Philosophic Mind.
The idea as nature is:
(1) as universal, ideal being outside of itself space and time(philosophy
of nature-$196)
If these determinations
are applied to space and time, then space is abstract objectivity, whereas time
is abstract subjectivity(philosophy of nature-$201)
Space and time
constitute the idea in and for itself, with space the real or immediately
objective side and time the purely subjective side. (philosophy
of nature-$203)
Even as Subjective Mind as the Free Mind is neither complete Cognition nor Will but the sublation of Theoretical Mind(knowledge) and Practical Mind(will).This is a higher Category which include both Cognition and Will as sublated.
Actual free will is the unity of
theoretical and practical mind: a free will, which realizes its own freedom
of will, now that the formalism, fortuitousness, and contractedness of the
practical content up to this point have been superseded. By superseding the
adjustments of means therein contained, the will is the immediate
individuality self-instituted - an individuality,
however, also purified of all that interferes with its universalism, i.e. with
freedom itself. This universalism the will has as its object and aim, only so
far as it thinks itself, knows this its concept, and is will as free intelligence.
(philosophy of mind-$ 481 )
The mind which knows itself as free and wills
itself as this its object, i.e. which has its true being for characteristic and
aim, is in the first instance the rational will in general, or implicit Idea,
and because implicit only the notion of absolute mind-((philosophy of
mind-$ 482)
Absolute Mind is also a Higher Category than both Subjective Mind(cognition) and Objective Mind(will) and which is the Subject with these sublated elements.
The notion of mind has its reality in
the mind. If this reality in identity with that notion is to
exist as the consciousness of the absolute Idea, then the necessary aspect is
that the implicitly free intelligence be in its actuality
liberated to its notion, if that actuality is to be a vehicle worthy of it.
The subjective and the objective spirit are to be looked on as the road on
which this aspect of reality or existence rises to maturity.( philosophy of mind-$ 553 )
The absolute mind, while it is self-centred identity, is always also identity returning
and ever returned into itself(philosophy of mind-$ 554
)
Even Absolute Mind as Artistic Mind ,there is some identification of Subject or I with Cognition or Knowledge-Subjective theoretical mind(as images,intuition or imagination)&Objective Mind and in Religious Mind also some identification of the Subject with Cognition- Subjective Theoretical Mind(as thinking),Subjective practical mind(as feeling &will) and Objective Mind (as Objective Rational Will) so as Absolute Rational Will.It is only as Philosophic Mind the Subject or I alone is the Absolute Mind or as Absolute Subject.Here I or Self alone is Subject and all other Categories ,even Cognition and Will becomes only the Nonself or It's Presdicates,Self's Other,NonSelf,It's own Other.This is the final stage.Absolute Mind as Philosophic Mind is the Absolute Subject which contemplates all the other Categories as it's own content or Predicates at the same time never identifying the Self with any of them.This philosophic Mind is the pure 'I' where all other categories(even cognition and will) becomes it's 'Mine'.This is the state of Absolute Thinker where all the other categories become only it's(or His)own Thoughts.This is the accomplished End.
The main distinction between Absolute Idea and Absolute Mind is ,(there is only distinction no real Difference because there is Identity also because Absolute Mind is only the complete immanent aspect or Absolute manifestation of the Absolute Idea); both Absolute Idea and Absolute Mind(Spirit) there is some identification of the Self,,I,Subject with other Ideal and Material Categories in the initial stages,but in the final stages as Absolute Idea and as Philosophc Mind the Absolute Mind is pure" I" and all other categories are 'Mine',even Ideal Categories like Cognition and Will.The Dstinction is Absoute Idea is as such is not connected with manifestation while Absolute Mind inter connected with manifestation and both Manifestation and Absolute Mind depends on each other.
This Absolute Subject as Philosophic Mind is the pure I consciousness .But the 'I' is both Universal and Particular.This means the Absolute Mind manifesting through every Human Being according to his capacity and the Philosophic Mind with all its perfection is manifesting through the fortunate One capable of expressing it in every age like it expressed through Hegel in his own time.
Thought conceived as a
subject (agent) is a thinker, and the subject existing as a thinker is simply
denoted by the term ‘I’.(logic-$20 )
Man is a thinker, and is
universal; but he is a thinker only because he feels his own
universality-(logic-24n)
We may say ‘I’ and thought are the same, or,
more definitely, ‘I’ is thought as a thinker. What I have in my consciousness
is for me. ‘I’ is the vacuum or receptacle for anything and everything: for
which everything is and which stores up everything in itself.
Every man is a whole world of conceptions, that lie
buried in the night of the ‘Ego’. It follows that the ‘Ego’ is the universal in
which we leave aside all that is particular, and in which at the same time all
the particulars have a latent existence. In other words, it is not a mere
universality and nothing more, but the universality which includes in it
everything.-(logic-24n)
I don't know whether it is right to write the following sentences.Of course it is not Hegelian scientific method.It contain so many May's.But in an ultimate sense the Absolute may be nether Ideal nor Material,neither Notion nor Being.It is Notion because it Knows itself as I. It is Being because Being is the beginning.Being is the foundation of this" I" .Of course it may not be Cognition or Knowledge because knowledge or cognition is something known and also only a Category of the Philosophic Mind(Mine).It may not be also Will because what ever may be the definition of Will by different philosophers it is also something Known and also the 'Mine' of the 'I 'as Philosophic Mind.It is also may not be pure I or Spirit of Philosophic Mind because I is the Thought as Thinker or Knowledge of the Philosophic Mind itself as I ,so also something Known.It may not be Absolute Idea or Absolute Mind because these are also something Known.It may not be Ideal or Notion because the ultimate notion is this 'I 'which is nothing but Being Knowing it self as 'I'. Being is its foundation or its beginning, so Notion is also some thing Known.It may not be Being because even though Being is not aware of itself it is also as a Category something Known.It may be neither Non Being nor Nothingness as they are some thing Known and also subcategories.If Being and Notion are sublated in this Highest Category it may be neither Being nor Notion or Absolute Idea or Absolute Mind.It is unknowable because Knowledge or Notion itself is only one of its sublated Category.It is inexpressible because expression need Being which is only one of its sublated Category.This ABSOLUTE may be The UNKNOWABLE or better omitting the 'is' Unknowable Absolute.
The End
Appendix
1.Dr.Janko Stojanow-Hegel 21 Century YahooGroups
My post to Dr
Dear Dr.Janko
Stojanow,
First of all I wish to tell you that your book contain revolutionary ideas
and it may be the much needed philosophy of this age.I
had posted the Idea
verses will on other groups only because even after one week I could not
see
it on your Hegel groups.Unlike Mike Marchetti I take your work sincerely and
seriously that is why I joined your project in the first place.I don't know
whether you are the Teacher of the Age(Sufi term for the grand master of
every age through whom the absolute manifest in his full glory like Hegel
claim it did through him during his time).But I know the absolute mind may
be manifesting more through you as philosophic mind than through me as
there
is a hierarchy in humans.In that sense I respect
you and consider you as
some one superior to me.your politovolia
opened and broadened and made very
clear many of the ideas I was only dimly aware of till I read your book.
the
idea of the absolute manifesting as both universal and individual,both
as
private and public property,both as subjective
and objective substantial
will replacing the representative by participatory democracy through every
individual and willing all its categories as its own property is,I think may
be the philosophy of the new millennium.if it
manifest more and more through
our will and hence work I also think it may change the face of the earth
for
better.it is with that noble wish I
joined your project and ready to
dedicate my service for this noble endeavor.
what confuses and surprises me is your criticism of Hegel and your
terminology.why I was dimly aware of
your ideas before is you and Hegel is
saying the same thing.I will elaborate on the
notion of philosophic mind
after your reply to my article.but here I will
say notion is neither
cognition nor will neither thinking thought nor material.
"When people are asked to apprehend some notion, they often complain
that
they do not know what they have to think. But the fact is that in a notion
there is nothing further to be thought than the notion itself.
"(encyclopedia-logic-3).
the second confusing part is your terminology of the absolute as Absolute
material entelechy or absolute rational will.entelechy
is not some thing new
by Aristotle,it is the as the archetypes of Plato
and categories of
Hegel.Absolute is neither material nor
ideal(in the sense of thinking
thoughts or theoretical cognition) neither reason nor rational will but as
philosophic mind the I that wills,that cognizes.both material and ideal as
its mine.Both Hegel and you also use the absolute
in this sense of absolute
subject with all the other as the I ' s own other or predicates in so many
places.I will elaborate on this after
your reply to my article.
regards
lathief
MR.JANKO’S REPLY
Dear Dr. Lathief,
I would like to make it crystal clear that nothing
else but utterly careful contemplation over Hegel' philosophy could lead
to its living development as Philosophy of Absolute Rational Will.
I have been studying Hegel's philosophy for ages
(for more than 25 years so far) feeling at the same time that modern
philosophy cannot make a genuine headway until it sublates
Hegel's philosophy. Consequently, the very course of my examination led me to criticise Hegel's approach to the Absolute and to think
about the latter not as Absolute Spirit (as Hegel does) but as Absolute
Rational Will. As a matter of fact it is due to its own dialectics that
Hegel's philosophy in-and-through itself sublates
itself and develops itself as philosophy of the Absolute
Rational Will. Hegel's principle is not the highest one; it is not the
ultimate, the absolute determination. It is only a moment subordinate to the
higher principle "Will yourself," which Hegel failed to attain. In
this work I set myself the task of showing that by virtue of the principle
"Will yourself" we can elaborate the concept of will, and
furthermore, we can develop and make the science of will through and through,
wholly and completely concrete; development which the latter deserves to the
highest degree.
But it was only after I had done the job that I
read about Voluntarism. Had I read about this wonderful philosophical doctrine
before, I would have been able to attain to the Philosophy of Absolute Rational
Will much earlier. Yet, there is nothing to regret about for - due to this
fact, - I was able to develop modern Rational Voluntarism by myself.
Otherwise, I could have been influenced by classical Voluntarism. Now I have
read all about the history of Voluntarism.
For this reason, dear Dr. Lathief,
before I have answered your two messages, I would like to present an extract
from Daniel Fidel Ferrer's excellent article on
Heidegger's encounter with F. W. J. Schelling. You
could read the whole article on the Internet. Its URL address is:
http://www.lib.cmich.edu/bibliographers/danielferrer/HeideggerSchelling.html
Have a nice time reading the article.
Best regards,
Janko Stojanow
Second Post to Dr.
post to hegel 21 centuary)
Dear Dr.
"Schelling assets that the predicates which metaphysical
thought since antiquity has attributed to Being find their ultimate, supreme,
and thus consummate configuration in willing. However, the will of the
willing meant here is not a faculty of the human soul. Here the word willing
names the Being of beings as whole. Such Being is
will”.
I
all along agreed and still agree with the first part,all
the predicates upto including thinking thought(as
theoretical cognition) consummate in will.Cognition
as knowledge or intelligence is sublated in the will.That is why will depends on knowledge and never as you
say in your book knowledge depends on will.You cannot
will what you donot know.Now
this will as knowledge sublated is not knowledge plus
will but will alone as a new category with only characteristics of knowledge
.this is what I mean by will is a concept or notion.Still
the I is the willer not the will,I
is the being that wills,will is its ultimate mine.Only when the I is the absolute subject as mystics
says life or existence become a celebration.Then
only every moment becomes accomplished and accomplishing it self.When
the I is will every moment is accomplishing only and misses the already
accomplished element ,hence the celebration.
Now
take the nature of this will.It is notion.The only difference between knowledge as notion and
will as notion is when knowledge develops into will it has the potential for
manifestation or in your words material potential(I would rather say energizing
potential).now this is nothing but power.So I
will say will develops into power.This is a new
category. This give rise to manifestation.power of manifestation.But this power is not will.As
thought is different from will so power is different from will.Only
implicitly we can say all is one because every thing is a development from one
and the same thing.whether that beginning is Being as
Hegel say or unknowable absolute as I called it in my article.So
all manifestations whether non living, or body of living or rational beings are
manifestation of this power(we may call it energy in modern terminology,but
even the physical energy only a manifestation of this power.).So manifestation
is not absolute rational will or absolute material entelechy.
I
will explain this with a little example.I know as
your book is a noble endeavor the absolute is manifesting through you in greater
intensity than we average lot ,because you have grater capacity.This
means the absolute as absolute subject and absolute predicates.But
subject as your pure I,predicates ,absolute will as
your will,absolute knowledge as your knowledge
,absolute life as your life ,absolute power as your power ,power of
manifestation as your manifestation(of course I do not mean your mere body or
passions or emotions,but all your sublime
manifestation including your words(your Book).now take Absolute will as your
will(I won't say absolute rational or material will because it neither material
nor reason.reason is sublated
and that element is absorbed into the new category will which has its own
unique character or quality).Now will you identify this absolute will with your
material printed edition of your book.Going higher
will you identify absolute will with your material soft copy(PDF or
document).Going still higher will you identify Absolute will with your material
spoken words and language(according to Hegel language is only the perfect
manifestation of mind).Still going higher will you identify Absolute will with
the power of your mind which initiated all these things.You
know you can identify this Absolute will only with that moment at which your
knowledge developed into or sublated to will to create,because the moment of willing a new creation.this is the only moment that belongs to the
absolute will ,the moment of real creation not imitation.All
the succeeding material moments are insignificant comparing with this moment.This is the only moment I call the absolute will.Even at this stage you are not absolute will but
willing subject.There is no total identification with
will.you are the knowing ,willing,powering
,manifesting Subject.
regards
lathief
MR.JANKO’S
REPLY
Dear Dr. Lathief,
It is definitely a pleasure and a privilege to
have an interlocutor of your intellectual rank.
I know and will your Will, i.e. you are
somebody very special to me. I feel it with all my Will. It must be
because of your Indian culture and background, which makes you supremely
special to me. Owing to your Indian background, I think, there is something
special in your philosophical mind that makes it so attractive. Not only
might you be the first Reader of my book, but also one of the first Writers
able to write in the Spirit and Will of the Absolute Rational Will. Anyway, I
will be glad in the extreme if one day this becomes the case.
Let me tell you how much I do appreciate your
messages. Thank you for their great quality; they definitely look
like carefully thought over articles. This is exactly
what I want to achieve - The Hegel_21st_Century Mailing List
to become a philosophical magazine devoted to the Absolute Rational Will. This
list aims at establishing a new philosophical school which is primarily focused
on the investigation and advancement of the Philosophy of Absolute Rational
Will and wants to promote collaborative research related to a modern voluntaristic philosophy, which - unquestionably, - is the
necessary development of the Science of Philosophy today. Dear Dr. Lathief, I invite you to help me establish the
Hegel_21s_century Mailing List as such an online philosophical magazine.
We will aim at creating a high quality ACADEMIC RESEARCH LIST, i.e. we will aim
at investigating thoroughly the ways of development of philosophy in the 21st
century. We will be delighted to see other philosophers joining our efforts to
develop the Science of Philosophy and interested in carrying out a
substantive philosophical project. A constructive way of discussing will
be highly appreciated. The best way to contribute to a discussion is to
send a message only after a deep consideration and making sure that the
opponent's point of view is fully understood, which will allow PERMANENT
PROGRESS to be made in the course of discussion. Opponents are sincere in their
desire to develop the science of philosophy and avoid dogmatism as well as
having a discussion for the sake of discussion. Each message should be well
thought over before it is send to the group.
Let me also inform you that I am bored in the
extreme by hard-line Hegelians for whom the World of Philosophy froze in 1831.
They make a religion of Hegel's superb philosophy; "SO SPAKE HEGEL"
is the mantra they repeat endlessly. One can see the phenomenon on Kai
Froeb's Hegel.Net Mailing List, where they talk most
of the time only about the Christian conception of God
or keep up quoting Hegel dogmatically time and time again: SO
SPAKE HEGEL. And so do the hard-line Hegelians, who belong to the
world of Academy; they are not capable of going beyond SO SPAKE
HEGEL. Nevertheless, this hopeless religion of people who are blindly
and narrow-mindedly devoted to it does not make sense in the XXI Century
and in the millennia to come. It does not help anyone. Hegel's great
philosophy is to be developed; this exactly is something that hard-line
Hegelians cannot do. It is much easier to sing the dogmas, isn't it? But is the Absolute - and precisely speaking, - its Absolute Rational Will
that in its self-development has the urge to go beyond Hegel's standpoint (at
which the Absolute grasps itself as Absolute Spirit only) and does go.
Best Regards,
Janko Stojanow
MY REPLY
(post sent to hegel 21 centuary on
Dear
Dr.Janko Stojanow,
As
a devoted member I am at your service and you can expect all help possible from
me.About your practical philosophy(politovolia) I know it is going to be the perfect
philosophy of the new millennium and I will be glad to be a small part of your
noble endeavor.
I
am not a Hegelian.yes
,Hegel is one of my favorites,and in general I
consider his philosophy as one of the great philosophy. But even in his
philosophy of the Absolute I think there is a plane beyond Being(which other
philosophers like Spencer,Kant and Spinoza mentioned
in their writings) and what I called Unknowable Absolute in my article.And I totally disagree with some of his
criticism about the other philosophers(especially Kant &Spinoza's
substance) and major religions like Hinduism,Jewish,Islam
and even Christianity except protestant Christianity.as
our group has more important work to do than discuss Hegel's philosophy I
am planning to write an article on this on other Hegel groups.
"But
even religion, as it grows and expands, lets other aspects of the Idea of
humanity grow and expand also . As it left
therefore behind, in its first immediate, and so also one-sided phase, Religion
may, or rather must, appear in its existence degraded to sensuous
externality, and thus in the sequel become an influence to oppress liberty of
spirit and to deprave political life. Still the principle has in it the
infinite 'elasticity' of the 'absolute' form', so as to overcome this depraving
of the form-determination (and the content by these means), and to bring about
the reconciliation of the spirit in itself. Thus ultimately, in the Protestant
conscience the principles of the religious and of the ethical conscience come
to be one and the same: the free spirit learning to see itself in its
reasonableness and truth. In the Protestant state, the constitution and the
code, as well as their several applications, embody the principle and the
development of the moral life, which proceeds and can only proceed from the
truth of religion, when reinstated in its original principle and in that way as
such first become actual". -(Encyclopedia-philosophy
of mind-$552).
regards
lathief
MR.JANKO’S
REPLY
Dear Dr. Lathief,
An innumerable amount of books devoted to and
developing the Philosophy of Absolute Rational Will are to be written as
it is the continuator and the heir of Hegel's philosophy, which -
without question, - is a genuine part of the Science of Philosophy par
excellence. Despite of the fact that I have already expressed this
point of view recently, I would like to repeat it time and time
again because of its importance.
"Will Yourself" - to this
standpoint has the Absolute Rational Will has come now. Being the
necessary development of the Science of Philosophy today, the Philosophy
of Absolute Rational Will affirmatively inherits and contains in
itself the great legacy of Hegel's philosophy, enters in total possession
of it and uses the wealth of its content as its own. Will
is the strongest principle in us; our standpoint now is to will
the Law of this Will as absolute Law. The
will wills to possess itself - to be in power over itself,
- for it is its own highest good; it is directed towards itself. It wills
itself so that at
each stage of its self-development as World Will, it creates and possesses
its own forms of Politovolia, in which all principles
of the previous epochs are preserved.
Having attained to the Philosophy of Absolute
Rational Will, now the task of our time is to
develop it further. Nature - and its highest form, Life,
- is only for-itself Rational Will, which is the absolutely actual
and possesses the total power of the absolutely actual. Life is a
Will of the Absolute Will; it is flesh of its flesh, i.e. a material
entelechy of its material actual entelechy. Cognition is only in-itself Rational
Will; the latter is the cognised
Rational Will in its spiritual, dried form. Aristotelian
thinking itself thought, which in Hegel's philosophy attains to its highest
form as Spirit (the self-knowing Idea), is in fact the self-knowing
Rational-Will. It is the Volition of the Absolute that Hegel
calls Notion in his cognitive, intellectualistic philosophy, in which he
puts the Mind, the Spirit in the foreground and fails to admit the apparent
fact that first and foremost we WILL, as well as the fact that our WILL is a
manifestation of the Absolute Rational Will. The Thinking, theoretical
Will is the intellectual reflection of the Absolute Will as an Idea;
it is like the shadows of the real world the inhabitants of Plato's cave can
see. Nonetheless, being a moment of the Absolute Rational
Will, this Thinking, theoretical Will is not and
cannot be a pure abstraction; it has the urge to return
back to life, to serve the Will to life and become Practical Will, i.e. it has
the desire to come-to-itself and be-at-home-with-itself. This is its supreme
end. Only when it joins the actual Will, it is an actual moment of the
Absolute Rational Will. The unity of life as the for-itself
actual Rational Will and Spirit as the in-itself Rational Will is the
in-and-for-itself Rational Will, which is their true law and the Lawmaker of
the World.
There is no doubt that being the intellectual
form of the Absolute Rational Will, Hegel's Absolute Idea is the absolute
truth. The point is, however, that for him the "coming-to-self of Mind may
be described as its complete and highest end: it is this alone that it desires
and nothing else. Everything that from eternity has happened in heaven and
earth, the life of God and all the deeds of time simply are the struggles for
Mind TO KNOW ITSELF, to make itself objective to itself, to find itself, be for
itself, and finally unite itself to itself." (Hegel, Lectures on the
History of Philosophy, translated by E. S. Haldane,
in three volumes, Volume 1, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London,
1995, page 23) But the Philosophy of Absolute Rational Will goes further than
Hegel's Absolute Idealism for it is the speculative unity of the greatest
moments of the Absolute - of Intellectualism and Voluntarism, of Idealism and
Materialism. The pure one-sided spiritual form of the Absolute
Rational Will as Absolute Spirit is the result of the strivings
of Will to become objective to itself, to cognise
and know itself. However, the Absolute Rational Will is higher than the
Absolute Spirit as the self-knowing Absolute Idea and has the
latter as one of its moments, for its principle "Will yourself"
is higher than the principle of Hegel's absolute idealism: "Cognise yourself." Realising
that demands a major breakthrough in one's way of thinking.
In fact, as the universal practical philosophy Politovolia has always been a manifestation of the
willing itself Will. I will to know, to cognise the World Will in its truth in order to know
how and why to want, to will, in order to be capable of making the best choice
about my own good. This is the ultimate end (aim), my own good. It is often
said that the conscious (preferential) choice is important, but it is even
more important to say that it serves the Will in order to help the latter to
choose the best.
The highest good is not theory - as
a large number of philosophers in ancient
Dr. Lathief,
having said that, I would like to continue discussing your article in another
message as soon as I find some free time.
Best Regards,
Janko Stojanow
2.Dr.Mike Marchetti
Posted
in Yahoo Hegel Groups
Message:
1
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 08:34:19 -0000
From: "Lathief" <lathief@sancharnet.in>
Subject: Re: Idea versus Will
Dear Members,
below is the correspondence with Dr.Mike Marchetti of hegel_intro
group.
M-1
Dear
Dr. Latheif,
Thank you for submitting your article. It is very
nicely written, and deals with J. Stanojow's work in
a
decisive way. Not many take his work very seriously,
so it is especially noteworthy that you have taken him
on sincerely.
Regarding the differentiation you have made between
Philosophical and Absolute Mind, I do not think we
have to draw such a distinction, and Hegel, himself,
does not make that distinction. The Concept as the
unity (identity) of Thought and Being is God or the
Absolute Mind. This identity is 'spekulatively'
identical to difference. To understand this we have to
study the Science of Logic. There we will find many
instances of how Hegel developes the identity of
opposites, starting with Being and Nothing.
Because Being and Thought are identical in the
Absolute, Knowing Being is only Thought thinking
itself. There is no difference between thought as
object and thought as subject, except the way we refer
to them, which can likewise be reversed - just as the
North and South poles of a magnet, or positive and
negative electrity. Nothing is changed by reversing
the names. So the Absolute remains identical with
itself in its difference. In this way the Absolute is
Self-knowing, knows itself in what is other to itself,
since that other is only itself.
In Sri Isopanisad it is said:
Om purman adah purnam idam
Purnat purnam udachyate
Purnasya purnam adhaya
Purnam eva vashisyate
Everything that emanates from the Purnam is Purnam -
complete. In that way God and His manifestation of
Himself are different and non-different
simultaneously. This is known as the achintya
bedhabedha tattva principal
we find in the teachings
of Gaudiya Vaishnava
philosophy, which is very similar
to Hegel's teachings.
Please send me the address of your web site.
Kind regards,
Mike Marchetti
M-2(reply)
Dear Dr.Mike Marchetti,
to the
"Regarding the differentiation you have made between
Philosophical and Absolute Mind, I do not think we
have to draw such a distinction, and Hegel, himself,
does not make that distinction. The Concept as the
unity (identity) of Thought and Being is God or the
Absolute Mind. This identity is 'spekulatively'
identical to difference. To understand this we have to
study the Science of Logic"
I do think we have to draw such a distinction.If you
consider that
science
of logic was his earlier book but logic and philosophy of mind he
revised
almost till his death I will prove from encyclopedia it self and
also from
other puranas and many mystical books that point.I have joined your
group
and send the article as a message. why don't you post
it and your
reply on
the message board so that others can also participate and judge us.
regards
lathief
M-3
Dear
Dr Lathief,
Our intro_hegel list is an ongoing course, so we do
not post unrelated material there. Your point of view
sounds interesting. If you would like to send your
arguments to me, I will be happy to respond.
Best wishes,
Mike Marchetti
As Dr. Mike Marchetti is unable or unwilling to
discuss it in his
own group I may start the discussion here.
Any one who read encyclopedia can see Hegel making the
distinction.Absolute mind as philosophic mind is the
final moment or
stage of mind's development.religious mind is the
last but one stage
but the philosophic mind is the complete development.
Being and thought is identical.but this identity
contain also
difference.Being is only implicit notion.As
absolute philosophic
mind God is not unity of being and thought but absolute subject
or 'I' with being and thought(as thinking ad willing) not as thinker
it's predicates,or its own other or I's Mine.so religious mind is
implictly philosophic mind not explicitly.
Sri Isopanisad's verses also show the different -non
different
nature. manifestations are only implicitly God because
all of them
are its own developmental moments.explicitly the are
God's own
other ,mine,its predicates.
As Hegel himself say in encyclopedia Of course you can say acorn is
oak tree but potentially or implicitly.so absolute
mind as
religious mind is implicitly philosophic mind but explicitly it
reaches its complete perfection only in the sublation
of artistic
mind and religious mind as philosophic mind.
regards
lathief