登陆注册
37910000000002

第2章 "HEGEL"(1)

T he volume before us [1] carries us back to a period which, although in time no more than a generation behind us, has become as foreign to the present generation in Germany as if it were already a hundred years old. Yet it was the period of Germany's preparation for the Revolution of 1848; and all that has happened since then in our country has been merely a continuation of 1848, merely the execution of the last will and testament of the revolution.

Just as in France in the 18th century, so in Germany in the 19th, a philosophical revolution ushered in the political collapse. But how different the two looked! The French were in open combat against all official science, against the church and often also against the state; their writings were printed across the frontier, in Holland or England, while they themselves were often in jeopardy of imprisonment in the Bastille. On the other hand, the Germans were professors, state-appointed instructors of youth; their writings were recognized textbooks, and the termination system of the whole development -- the Hegelian system -- was even raised, as it were, to the rank of a royal Prussian philosophy of state! Was it possible that a revolution could hide behind these professors, behind their obscure, pedantic phrases, their ponderous, wearisome sentences? Were not precisely these people who were then regarded as the representatives of the revolution, the liberals, the bitterest opponents of this brain-confusing philosophy? But what neither the government nor the liberals saw was seen at least by one man as early as 1833, and this man was indeed none other than Heinrich Heine. [2]

Let us take an example. No philosophical proposition has earned more gratitude from narrow-minded governments and wrath from equally narrow-minded liberals than Hegel's famous statement: "All that is real is rational; and all that is rational is real." That was tangibly a sanctification of things that be, a philosophical benediction bestowed upon despotism, police government, Star Chamber proceedings and censorship. That is how Frederick William III and how his subjects understood it. But according to Hegel certainly not everything that exists is also real, without further qualification.

For Hegel the attribute of reality belongs only to that which at the same time is necessary: "In the course of its development reality proves to be necessity." A particular governmental measure -- Hegel himself cites the example of "a certain tax regulation" -- is therefore for him by no means real without qualification. That which is necessary, however, proves itself in the last resort to be also rational; and, applied to the Prussian state of that time, the Hegelian proposition, therefore, merely means: this state is rational, corresponds to reason, insofar as it is necessary; and if it nevertheless appears to us to be evil, but still, in spite of its evil character, continues to exist, then the evil character of the government is justified and explained by the corresponding evil character of its subjects. The Prussians of that day had the government that they deserved.

Now, according to Hegel, reality is, however, in no way an attribute predictable of any given state of affairs, social or political, in all circumstances and at all times. On the contrary. The Roman Republic was real, but so was the Roman Empire, which superseded it. In 1789, the French monarchy had become so unreal, that is to say, so robbed of all necessity, so irrational, that it had to be destroyed by the Great Revolution, of which Hegel always speaks with the greatest enthusiasm. In this case, therefore, the monarchy was the unreal and the revolution the real. And so, in the course of development, all that was previously real becomes unreal, loses it necessity, its right of existence, its rationality. And in the place of moribund reality comes a new, viable reality -- peacefully if the old has enough intelligence to go to its death without a struggle; forcibly if it resists this necessity. Thus the Hegelian proposition turns into its opposite through Hegelian dialectics itself: All that is real in the sphere of human history, becomes irrational in the process of time, is therefore irrational by its very destination, is tainted beforehand with irrationality, and everything which is rational in the minds of men is destined to become real, however much it may contradict existing apparent reality. In accordance with all the rules of the Hegelian method of thought, the proposition of the rationality of everything which is real resolves itself into the other proposition: All that exists deserves to perish.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 如果可以不如不遇

    如果可以不如不遇

    一生只想无拘无束的生活,画自己想画的画,过自己想过的生活,爱自己所爱的人,也希望那个人全心全意的爱自己!愿得一人心白首不相离!可是上天就是那样不公平,你越想要什么,就越不会得到什么,!白絮言注定欠这个男人的,这个男人想要的,不是她给不了,而是不能给!终于冲破了重重阻碍,却也发现那个人已不再!
  • 底牌将启:短篇悬疑小说集

    底牌将启:短篇悬疑小说集

    汇集近二十本推理悬疑故事。情节跌宕起伏、耐人寻味。疑点重重的布局中背后的凶手究竟是谁?更贴近真实的体验,你就是下一个福尔摩斯,来和我玩一场推理游戏,挑战作者极限埋伏!
  • 秋风赴雪去

    秋风赴雪去

    又是一年山寺桃花始盛开。很多年以后,赴雪去过那年盛冬他们去过的那座庙。百年老树依旧在,树干几个人才能抱过来。赴雪找了很久,找到了那张年少时的记忆。他潦潦草草的字迹已经泛黄了。春日当空,树干上垂下的绳子投影在那张签上,写着,祁箫裴赴雪。祁箫陪赴雪。
  • 真剑情天

    真剑情天

    从小跟师父隐居神农岭的岳士林,一次“偶然”的随师父下山中,认识了太白山弟子林唯月,以前的安宁生活竟然成为过去。自己卷入了似乎永无止境的武林纷争,两人的偶遇与分开、师父的秘密、不醉不罢休的兄弟姐妹纠葛,让岳士林和林唯月意识到:平淡的厮守才是人生的最好追求。
  • 身边的传奇

    身边的传奇

    此故事由我朋友的经历改编而来,我将以一个哥哥的身份来叙述他的传奇故事!他自出生便有着让人难以理解的思维,头脑好,却厌倦学习,家人的关爱却不能将他的心留在家中,年少的他。走出了不一样的路!
  • 异乡的剑舞

    异乡的剑舞

    李斯特在玩一百多年前的名为英雄联盟的游戏时忽然穿越了,从此他以英雄剑圣易大师的成名绝技无极剑道在异界开始了一段剑圣的传说。
  • 养狼为犬之腹黑小毒妃

    养狼为犬之腹黑小毒妃

    前世,救死扶伤是职责。住在太平间,吃在解剖室。现在,甩掉王爷是根本。过着王妃命,操着小三心。与庶妹打打摔摔,与师傅调调药与毒,与这个王爷玩玩心计,与那个王爷滚滚床单。这一扯蛋的辈子也就过了。但,真的可以这样就好了。作诗作茶作画做菜做人,才女王妃大小姐该做的,凌小小做了。下毒下药吓人下作下身,才女王妃大小姐不该做的,当然除了最后一项,凌小小还是做了。人的一生最痛苦的事就是,人还在,节操没了。人这一生最最痛苦的事情就是,节操还在呢,人没了。节操留着什么用?!干脆全部掉光光!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 2013年诗歌排行榜

    2013年诗歌排行榜

    编选了2013年发表在各类文学刊物及诗人博客上的优秀诗歌,全面展现了2013年中国诗歌创作成绩和美学风貌。在选编和评选过程中,编者坚持性、思想性和文学性的良知。从作品的价值上反复斟酌、碰撞、判断、从而披沙拣金,把具有广泛影响的、具有经得起时间考验的优秀作品评选出来,汇编成册。
  • 小不死的回忆录

    小不死的回忆录

    有人说,我的存在改变了这个世界。一些不该死的人,都死了,不该发生的事情,也发生了。我是神,因为我统领着这个世界。我是魔,所有因为我存在而恐惧。我根本不属于这个世界,一个异界,因为我这个陌生人回到过去,而改变出来的异界。我承认是我让你们感到烦恼。改变了你们的游戏规则。我要的不是七个球球,用来召唤五百万!我叫哪吒,人称小不死的。
  • 培养小学生情操的100个感人故事

    培养小学生情操的100个感人故事

    中国民间有句俗语,叫:“三岁看大,七岁看老”。这从侧面反映出了小时候的性格养成会影响到一个人的一生。中国民间有句俗语,叫:“三岁看大,七岁看老”。这从侧面反映出了小时候的性格养成会影响到一个人的一生。如果说人生是一次壮丽的海上航程,那么小学时代则是这段船程的起锚阶段,面对着不可捉摸而又神秘的未来,他们充满了既兴奋又紧张的心情。我们每个人都要经历这人生的起锚阶段,无论前面是布满暗礁的危险之地,还是风平浪静的辽阔海面,人生的第一步是我们踏上未来航程的最重要阶段,只有平安地度过这一时期,才能进入浩瀚的大洋去远航。