Hegel's Phenomenology of the Spirit:
125.
ARGUMENT:
the determinateness that defines a thing and distinguishes it from all others - puts it in
opposition to other things - also preserves its independence
its relationship with others establishes rather its continuity with others - and for it to
be connected with others is to cease to exist on its own account
it is the absolute character of the Thing and its opposition that it relates itself to
others - and is essentially only this relating
the relation is the negation of its self-subsistence - and it is really the essential
property of the thing that is its undoing
COMMENTARY:
they key concept here is uncertainty
the thing or entity in consciousness exists - even in phenomenal perception - as an
uncertain
its identity is unknown
how we describe it - what characteristics we operate with in relation to it - is
dependent on what we want to do with it - what function it is to have
and of course a thing can have many functions and many descriptions - all of which
are useful and true
i.e. - from the point of view of atomic science we do not regard the thing as 'a table' -
rather as an atomic structure or state
the reality outside of any description - is unknown
the object of consciousness - the focus of consciousness does not have any
absolute description or function
knowledge is an attempt to deal with the world outside of consciousness
consciousness presents an alternative to the unknown
how that alternative - in whatever form it takes - functions - is not a matter that is
decided in any independent sense -
we simply make our decisions and run with them - and in the course of this running
make assessments (finally based on nothing) as to whether these decisions have or
have not borne fruit - whatever we decide that is to be - or is to mean
