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Reissue from the classic Muirhead Library of Philosophy series
(originally published between 1890s - 1970s).
The second part of Hegel's Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical
Sciences in outline. Translated, and with an introduction by, MJ
Petry.
It could certainly be argued that the way in which Hegel criticizes
Newton in the Dissertation, the Philosophy of Nature and the
lectures on the History of Philosophy, has done more than anything
else to prejudice his own reputation. At first sight, what we seem
to have here is little more than the contrast between the tested
accomplishments of the founding father of modern science, and the
random remarks of a confused and somewhat disgruntled philosopher;
and if we are persuaded to concede that it may perhaps be something
more than this - between the work of a clearsighted mathematician
and experimentalist, and the blind assertions of some sort of
Kantian logician, blundering about among the facts of the real
world. By and large, it was this clear-cut simplistic view of the
matter which prevailed among Hegel's contemporaries, and which
persisted until fairly recently. The modification and eventual
transformation of it have come about gradually, over the past
twenty or twenty-five years. The first full-scale commentary on the
Philosophy of Nature was published in 1970, and gave rise to the
realization that to some extent at least, the Hegelian criticism
was directed against Newtonianism rather than the work of Newton
himself, and that it tended to draw its inspiration from
developments within the natural sciences, rather than from the
exigencies imposed upon Hegel's thinking by a priori categorial
relationships.
The foundations of this edition were laid at the University of
Bochum. The readiness with which Professor Poggeler and his staff
put the full resources of the Hegel Archive at my disposal, and
went out of their way in helping me to survey the field and get t9
grips with the editing of the manuscript material, has put me very
greatly in their debt. I could never have cleared the ground so
effectively anywhere else, and I should like to express my very
deep grati tude for all the help and encouragement they have given
me. It has been completed in the Netherlands, - in a University
which is justly proud of both the liberal and humanistic traditions
of its country and its close links with the enterprise and
accomplishments of a great com mercial city, and in a faculty
engaged primarily in establishing itself as a centre of
inter-disciplinary research. I have found these surroundings
thoroughly congenial, and can only hope that the finished work will
prove worthy of its setting."
Linnaeus' mature theodicy, his attempt to reconcile the suffering
and evil of the world with the omnipotence and goodness of God, is
presented in a condensed form in the final editions of his Systema
Naturae (1758/68). In this comprehensive compendium of our
knowledge of the three great realms of organic nature, he outlines
the significance of the sub-conscious, social awareness and
theological orientation in the spiritual life of man, and indicates
how fate, fortune, and Providence interrelate within his conception
of the Deity. In the Nemesis Divina this general undertaking is
developed into an experimental theology', which is exactly
analogous to Linnaeus' work in the natural sciences, in that it
involves the collecting and classifying of concrete and carefully
described case-studies. He never prepared the manuscript for
publication, however, and for many years it was regarded as lost,
and it is only very recently that any attempt has been made to
publish it in its entirety. This is the first English translation
of all the relevant manuscript material. It is also the first
attempt to analyse the case-studies in the light of what we know of
Linnaeus' general taxonomic principles, and to relate each of them
to its historical context.
Linnaeus' mature theodicy, his attempt to reconcile the suffering
and evil of the world with the omnipotence and goodness of God, is
presented in a condensed form in the final editions of his Systema
Naturae (1758/68). In this comprehensive compendium of our
knowledge of the three great realms of organic nature, he outlines
the significance of the sub-conscious, social awareness and
theological orientation in the spiritual life of man, and indicates
how fate, fortune, and Providence interrelate within his conception
of the Deity. In the Nemesis Divina this general undertaking is
developed into an experimental theology', which is exactly
analogous to Linnaeus' work in the natural sciences, in that it
involves the collecting and classifying of concrete and carefully
described case-studies. He never prepared the manuscript for
publication, however, and for many years it was regarded as lost,
and it is only very recently that any attempt has been made to
publish it in its entirety. This is the first English translation
of all the relevant manuscript material. It is also the first
attempt to analyse the case-studies in the light of what we know of
Linnaeus' general taxonomic principles, and to relate each of them
to its historical context.
It could certainly be argued that the way in which Hegel criticizes
Newton in the Dissertation, the Philosophy of Nature and the
lectures on the History of Philosophy, has done more than anything
else to prejudice his own reputation. At first sight, what we seem
to have here is little more than the contrast between the tested
accomplishments of the founding father of modern science, and the
random remarks of a confused and somewhat disgruntled philosopher;
and if we are persuaded to concede that it may perhaps be something
more than this - between the work of a clearsighted mathematician
and experimentalist, and the blind assertions of some sort of
Kantian logician, blundering about among the facts of the real
world. By and large, it was this clear-cut simplistic view of the
matter which prevailed among Hegel's contemporaries, and which
persisted until fairly recently. The modification and eventual
transformation of it have come about gradually, over the past
twenty or twenty-five years. The first full-scale commentary on the
Philosophy of Nature was published in 1970, and gave rise to the
realization that to some extent at least, the Hegelian criticism
was directed against Newtonianism rather than the work of Newton
himself, and that it tended to draw its inspiration from
developments within the natural sciences, rather than from the
exigencies imposed upon Hegel's thinking by a priori categorial
relationships.
Since the three volume edition ofHegel's Philosophy of Subjective
Spirit (1978, 19792) has been so well received, I have been
encouraged to select that part of it most suitable for teaching
purposes, and to publish it here as a separate work. As a teaching
text, the Berlin Phenomenology has several important advan- tages.
Unlike so many ofHegel's writings, must notably theJena Phenomeno-
logy of 1807, it is concise and to the point, and concemed with
issues already familiar to most students of philosophy. Since it
consists for the most part of a searching and radical analysis of
Kant's epistemology, Fichte's ethics and Schelling's
system-building, it provides tirst-rate insight into Hegel's
assessment of his immedi~te predecessors. When considered in
context, as part of the Encyclopaedia if the Philosophical
Sciences, it enables us to distinguish dearly between the
systematic, the logical and the psychological aspects of
Hegelianism, and is therefore also relevant to some of the central
issues in modem phenomenology. It is to be hoped that the
introduction and notes prepared for the present edition will prove
helpful to both teachers and students. Every effort has been ma de
to produce a thoroughly reliable ba sic text and an accurate
translation. The text published in 1978 was prepared at the Hegel
Archive in Bochum from photocopies, and I am most grateful to the
Central Interfaculty of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, for
having made it possible for me to check the printed version against
the original manuscripts.
Since the three volume edition ofHegel's Philosophy of Subjective
Spirit (1978, 19792) has been so well received, I have been
encouraged to select that part of it most suitable for teaching
purposes, and to publish it here as a separate work. As a teaching
text, the Berlin Phenomenology has several important advan- tages.
Unlike so many ofHegel's writings, must notably theJena Phenomeno-
logy of 1807, it is concise and to the point, and concemed with
issues already familiar to most students of philosophy. Since it
consists for the most part of a searching and radical analysis of
Kant's epistemology, Fichte's ethics and Schelling's
system-building, it provides tirst-rate insight into Hegel's
assessment of his immedi~te predecessors. When considered in
context, as part of the Encyclopaedia if the Philosophical
Sciences, it enables us to distinguish dearly between the
systematic, the logical and the psychological aspects of
Hegelianism, and is therefore also relevant to some of the central
issues in modem phenomenology. It is to be hoped that the
introduction and notes prepared for the present edition will prove
helpful to both teachers and students. Every effort has been ma de
to produce a thoroughly reliable ba sic text and an accurate
translation. The text published in 1978 was prepared at the Hegel
Archive in Bochum from photocopies, and I am most grateful to the
Central Interfaculty of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, for
having made it possible for me to check the printed version against
the original manuscripts.
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