第12章

1。Inoneofhisearlierwritings，the“SystemofTranscendentalIdealism，”whichweshallconsiderfirstofall，Schellingrepresentedtranscendentalphilosophyandnaturalphilosophyasthetwosidesofscientificknowledge。Respectingthenatureofthetwo，heexpresslydeclaredhimselfinthiswork，whereheoncemoreadoptsaFichtianstarting-point:“Allknowledgerestsontheharmonyofanobjectivewithasubjective。”Inthecommonsenseofthewordsthiswouldbeallowed；absoluteunity，wheretheNotionandtherealityareundistinguishedintheperfectedIdea，istheAbsolutealone，orGod；allelsecontainsanelementofdiscordbetweentheobjectiveandsubjective。“Wemaygivethenameofnaturetotheentireobjectivecontentofourknowledge；theentiresubjectivecontent，ontheotherhand，iscalledtheegoorintelligence。”Theyareinthemselvesidenticalandpresupposedasidentical。TherelationofnaturetointelligenceisgivenbySchellingthus:“Nowifallknowledgehastwopoleswhichmutuallypresupposeanddemandoneanother，theremustbetwofundamentalsciences，anditmustbeimpossibletostartfromtheonepolewithoutbeingdriventotheother。”Thusnatureisimpelledtospirit，andspirittonature；

eithermaybegiventhefirstplace，andbothmustcometopass。“Iftheobjectiveismadethechief，”wehavethenaturalsciencesasresult，and“thenecessarytendency，”theend，“ofallnaturalsciencethusistopassfromnaturetointelligence。Thisisthemeaningoftheefforttoconnectnaturalphenomenawiththeory。Thehighestperfectionofnaturalsciencewouldbetheperfectspiritualizationofallnaturallawsintolawsofintuitiveperceptionandthought。Thephenomenal(thematerialelement)mustentirelydisappear，andlaws(theformalelement)aloneremain。Henceitcomestopassthatthemorethatwhichisinconformitywithlawbreaksforthinnatureitself，themoretheoutwardcoveringdisappears；thephenomenathemselvesbecomemorespiritual，andfinallyceasealtogether。Theperfecttheoryofnaturewouldbethatbywhichthewholeofnatureshouldberesolvedintoanintelligence。Thedeadandunconsciousproductsofnatureareonlyabortiveattemptsonthepartofnaturetoreflectitself，buttheso-calleddeadnatureisreallyanimmature，”torpid，fossilized“intelligence"；itisimplicitonly，andthusremainsinexternality；“henceinitsphenomena，”eventhough“stillunconsciously，thecharacterofintelligenceshinesthrough。Itshighestend，whichistobecomeobjecttoitself，isfirstattainedbynature”(insteadofnatureweshouldcallittheIdeaofnature)，“throughitshighestandultimatereflection，whichisnoneotherthanman，or，moregenerally，itisthatwhichwecallreason，throughwhichnatureforthefirsttimereturnscompletelywithinitself，andwherebyitbecomesevidentthatnatureisoriginallyidenticalwithwhatisknowninusasintelligenceortheconscious。Throughthistendencytomakenatureintelligentnaturalsciencebecomesthephilosophyofnature。”Theintelligentcharacterofnatureisthusspokenofasapostulateofscience。Theotherpointofviewis“togivethesubjectivetheforemostplace。”Thushere“theproblemishowtoaddanobjectiveelementagreeingwithit。Tostartfromthesubjectiveasfromthefirstandabsolute，andtomaketheobjectivearisefromit，”signifiesanewdeparture；itsconsiderationformsthecontentoftrueTranscendentalPhilosophy，or，asSchellinghimselfnownamedthisscience，“theothersciencefundamentaltoPhilosophy。”Theorganoftranscendentalphilosophyisthesubjective，theproductionofinwardaction。Productionandreflectionuponthisproduction，theunconsciousandconsciousinone，isthe？stheticactoftheimagination。(9)Thusthesetwoseparateprocessesareasawholeveryclearlyexpressed:theprocesswhichleadsfromnaturetothesubject，andthatleadingfromtheegototheobject。Butthetrueprocesscouldonlybetracedoutbymeansoflogic，foritcontainspurethoughts；butthelogicalpointofviewwaswhatSchellingneverarrivedatinhispresentationofthings，a。Inrespectoftheego，asprincipleofthetranscendentalphilosophy，SchellingsetstoworkinthesamewayasdidFichte，inasmuchashebeginsfromthefactofknowledge“inwhichthecontentisconditionedthroughtheform，andtheformthroughthecontent”；thisisformalA=A。

ButdoesAexist？Theegois“thepointwheresubjectandobjectareoneintheirunmediatedcondition”；theegoisjustEgo=Ego，subject-object；andthatistheactofself-consciousnesswhereinIamformyselfobjecttomyself。Inself-consciousnessthereisnottobefoundadistinctionbetweenmeandanythingelse；whataredistinguishedaredirectlyidentical，andthereissofarnothingatallinoppositiontothisself-consciousness。Howthecasestandswithregardtoexternalobjectsisthequestionwhichmustbedecidedlater，inthefurthercourseofdevelopment。

ItisonlytheNotionoftheegowhichistobelaidholdof:“TheNotionoftheego，thatistheactwherebythoughtingeneralbecomesobjecttoitself，andtheegoitself(theobject)areabsolutelyone；independentlyofthisacttheegoisnothing。”Itistheactwherebythoughtmakesitselfobjective，andwhereintheegoisbroughtintoharmonywiththeobjective，withthought；andfromthisstandpointithadtobedemonstratedhowtheegomakesitswaytoobjectivity。“Theego，aspureact，aspureaction，isnotobjectiveinknowledgeitself，forthereasonthatitistheprincipleofallknowledge。Ifitistobeobjectofknowledge，thismustcometopassthroughaverydifferentkindofknowledgethantheordinary。”Theimmediateconsciousnessofthisidentityisintuition，butinwardlyitbecomes“intellectualintuition”；it“isaknowledgewhichistheobject:sensuousintuitionorperceptionisperceptionofsuchanaturethattheperceptionitselfappearstobedifferentfromwhatisperceived。Nowintellectualintuitionistheorganofalltranscendentalthought，”theactofpureself-consciousnessgenerally。“Theegoisnothingelsethanaprocessofproductionwhichevermakesitselfitsownobject。Sciencecanstartfromnothingobjective，”butfrom“thenon-objectivewhichitselfbecomesobject”asan“originalduplicity。Idealismisthemechanismoftheoriginationoftheobjectiveworldfromtheinwardprincipleofspiritualactivity。”

(10)

OntheonehandSchelling\'ssystemisrelatedtothephilosophyofFichte，and，ontheotherhand，he，likeJacobi，makeshisprincipleimmediateknowledge—theintelligentintuitiveperceptionwhichallwhowishtophilosophizemusthave。Butwhatcomesnextisthatitscontentisnolongertheindeterminate，theessenceofessence，butlikewisetheAbsolute，God，theabsolutelyself-existent，thoughexpressedasconcrete，i。e。asmediatingitselfwithinitself，astheabsoluteunityorindifferenceofsubjectiveandobjective。IntellectualintuitionistheFichtianimaginationoscillatingbetweentwodifferentpoints。Wehavealreadyspokenabove(p。417)oftheformofintellectualintuition；itisthemostconvenientmannerofassertingknowledgerespecting—anythingonelikes。ButtheimmediateknowledgeofGodasspiritualisonlyintheconsciousnessofChristiannations，andnotforothers。Thisimmediateknowledgeappearstobestillmorecontingentastheintellectualintuitionoftheconcrete，ortheidentityofsubjectivityandobjectivity。

Thisintuitionisintellectualindeed，becauseitisarationalintuition，andasknowledgeitislikewiseabsolutelyonewiththeobjectofknowledge。Butthisintuition，althoughitselfknowledge，isnotasyetknown；itistheunmediated，thepostulated。Asitisinthiswayanimmediatewemustpossessit，andwhatmaybepossessedmaylikewisenotbepossessed。Thussincetheimmediatepre-suppositioninPhilosophyisthatindividualshavetheimmediateintuitionofthisidentityofsubjectiveandobjective，thisgavethephilosophyofSchellingtheappearanceofindicatingthatthepresenceofthisintuitioninindividualsdemandedaspecialtalent，genius，orconditionofmindoftheirown，orasthoughitweregenerallyspeakinganaccidentalfacultywhichpertainedtothespeciallyfavouredfew。Fortheimmediate，theintuitivelyperceived，isintheformofanexistent，andisnotthusanessential；andwhoeverdoesnotunderstandtheintellectualintuitionmustcometotheconclusionthathedoesnotpossessit。Orelse，inordertounderstandit，menmustgivethemselvesthetroubleofpossessingit；butnoonecantellwhetherhehasitornot—notevenfromunderstandingit，forwemaymerelythinkweunderstandit。Philosophy，however，isinitsownnaturecapableofbeinguniversal；foritsground-workisthought，anditisthroughthoughtthatmanisman。Schelling\'sprincipleisthusindeedclearlyauniversal；butifadefiniteintuition，adefiniteconsciousnessisdemanded，suchastheconsciousnessorintuitionoftheidentityofsubjectiveandobjective，thisdeterminateparticularthoughtisnotasyettobefoundinit。

Itwas，however，inthisformofknowledgeoftheabsoluteasconcrete，and，further，intheformofunityofsubjectiveandobjective，thatPhilosophyasrepresentedbySchellingmoreespeciallymarkeditselfofffromtheordinaryconceivingconsciousnessanditsmodeofreflection。EvenlessthanFichtedidSchellingattaintopopularity(supra，pp。504，505)，fortheconcreteinitsnatureisdirectlyspeculative。Theconcretecontent，God，life，orwhateverparticularformithas，isindeedthecontentandobjectofnaturalconsciousness；butthedifficultyliesinbringingwhatiscontainedintheconcreteintoconcretethoughtinaccordancewithitsdifferentdeterminations，andinlayingholdoftheunity。Itpertainstothestandpointoftheunderstandingtodivideandtodistinguish，andtomaintainthefinitethought-determinationsintheiropposition；butPhilosophydemandsthatthesedifferentthoughtsshouldbebroughttogether。Thoughtbeginsbyholdingapartinfiniteandfinite，causeandeffect，positiveandnegative；sincethisistheregionofreflectingconsciousness，theoldmetaphysicalconsciousnesswasabletotakepartinsodoing:butthespeculativepointofviewistohavethisoppositionbeforeitselfandtoreconcileit。WithSchellingthespeculativeformhasthusagaincometothefront，andphilosophyhasagainobtainedaspecialcharacterofitsown；theprincipleofPhilosophy，rationalthoughtinitself，hasobtainedtheformofthought。InthephilosophyofSchellingthecontent，thetruth，hasoncemorebecomethematterofchiefimportance，whereasintheKantianphilosophythepointofinterestwasmoreespeciallystatedtobethenecessityforinvestigatingsubjectiveknowledge。ThisisthestandpointofSchelling\'sphilosophyinitsgeneralaspects。

b。Sinceinfurtheranalysisthedistinctionbetweensubjectandobjectcomesintoviewandisaccepted，therefollowstherelationshipoftheegotoitsother；withFichtethatformsthesecondproposition，inwhichtheself-limitationoftheegoisposited。Theegopositsitselfinoppositiontoitself，sinceitpositsitselfasconditionedbythenon-ego；thatistheinfiniterepulsion，forthisconditionmentistheegoitself。Schelling，ontheonehand，says:“Theegoisunlimitedastheegoonlyinsofarasitislimited，”asitrelatestothenon-ego。Onlythusdoesconsciousnessexist，self-consciousnessisabarrendetermination；throughitsintuitionofselftheegobecomesfinitetoitself。“Thiscontradictiononlyallowsitselftobedissolvedbytheegobecominginthisfinitudeinfinitetoitself，i。e。byitshavinganintuitiveperceptionofitselfasaninfiniteBecoming。”Therelationoftheegotoitselfandtotheinfinitecheckorforceofrepulsionisaconstantone。Ontheotherhanditissaid:“Theegoislimitedonlyinsofarasitisunlimited；”thislimitationisthusnecessaryinordertobeabletogetbeyondit。Thecontradictionwhichwefindhereremainseveniftheegoalwayslimitsthenon-ego。“Bothactivities—thatwhichmakesforinfinitude，thelimitable，real，objectiveactivity，andthelimitingandideal，mutuallypre-supposeoneanother。

Idealismreflectsmerelyontheone，realismontheother，transcendentalidealismonboth。”(11)

Allthisisatangledmassofabstractions。

c。“Neitherthroughthelimitingactivitynorthroughthelimiteddoestheegoarriveatself-consciousness。Thereconsequentlyisathirdactivity，compoundedfromtheothertwo，throughwhichtheegoofself-consciousnessarises；thisthirdisthatwhichoscillatesbetweenthetwo—thestrugglebetweenopposingtendencies。”Thereisessentialrelationonly，relativeidentity；thedifferencethereinpresentthuseverremains。“Thisstrugglecannotbereconciledbyonesuchaction，butonlybyaninfinitesuccessionofsuch，”i。e。thereconciliationoftheoppositionbetweenthetwotendenciesoftheego，theinwardandtheoutward，is，intheinfinitecourseofprogression，onlyanapparentone。Inorderthatitmaybecomplete，thewholeinwardandoutwardnaturemustbepresentedinallitsdetails:butPhilosophycanonlysetforththeepochswhicharemostimportant。“Ifalltheintermediatelinksinsensationcouldbesetforth，thatwouldnecessarilyleadustoadeductionofallthequalitiesinnature，whichlastisimpossible。”

Nowthisthirdactivity，whichcontainstheuniondirectlyinitself，isathoughtinwhichparticularityisalreadycontained。ItistheintuitiveunderstandingofKant，theintelligentintuitionorintuitivelyperceivingintelligence；Schelling，indeed，definitelynamesthisabsoluteunityofcontradictionsintellectualintuition。Theegohereisnotone-sidedinregardtowhatisdifferent；itisidentityoftheunconsciousandtheconscious，butnotanidentityofsuchanaturethatitsgroundrestsontheegoitself。(12)

Thisegomustbetheabsoluteprinciple:“Allphilosophystartsfromaprinciplewhichasabsoluteidentityisnon-objective。”Forifitisobjective，separationisatoncepositedanditisconfrontedbyanother；buttheprincipleisthereconciliationoftheopposition，andthereforeinandforitselfitisnon-objective。“Nowhowshouldaprinciplesuchasthisbecalledforthtoconsciousnessandunderstood，asisrequiredifitistheconditionattachedtothecomprehensionofallphilosophy？

ThatitcannomorebecomprehendedthroughNotions[Begriffe]thansetforth，requiresnoproof。"NotiontoSchellingsignifiesacategoryoftheordinaryunderstanding；Notionis，however，theconcretethoughtwhichinitselfisinfinite。“Therethusremainsnothingmorethanthatitshouldbesetforthinanimmediateintuition。Ifthereweresuchallintuitionwhichhadasobjecttheabsolutelyidentical，thatwhichinitselfisneithersubjectivenorobjective，andifforsuch，which，”

however，“canbeanintellectualintuitiononly，onecouldappealtoimmediateexperience，”thequestionwouldbe:“Howcanthisintuitionbeagainmadeobjective，i。e。howcanitbeassertedwithoutdoubtthatitdoesnotrestonasubjectivedeception，ifthereisnotauniversalobjectivityinthatintuition，whichisrecognizedbyall？”Thisintellectualprincipleinitselfshouldthusbegiveninanexperiencesothatmenmaybeabletoappealtoit。“Theobjectivityofintellectualintuitionisart。Theworkofartalonereflectstomewhatisotherwisereflectedthroughnothing—thatabsoluteidenticalwhichhasalreadyseparateditselfintheegoitself。”Theobjectivityofidentityandtheknowledgeofthesameisart；inoneandthesameintuitiontheegoishereconsciousofitselfandunconscious。(13)Thisintellectualintuitionwhichhasbecomeobjectiveisobjectivesensuousintuition—buttheNotion，thecomprehendednecessity，isaverydifferentobjectivity。

Thusaprincipleispresupposedbothforthecontentofphilosophyandforsubjectivephilosophizing:ontheonehanditisdemandedthattheattitudeadoptedshouldbeoneofintellectualintuition，and，ontheotherhand，thisprinciplehastobeauthenticated，andthistakesplaceintheworkofart。Thisisthehighestformoftheobjectificationofreason，becauseinitsensuousconceptionisunitedwithintellectuality，sensuousexistenceismerelytheexpressionofspirituality。Thehighestobjectivity，whichthesubjectattains，thehighestidentityofsubjectiveandobjective，isthatwhichSchellingtermsthepowerofimagination。Artisthuscomprehendedaswhatisinmostandhighest，thatwhichproducestheintellectualandrealinone，andphilosophizingisconceivedasthisgeniusofart。Butartandpowerofimaginationarenotsupreme。FortheIdea，spirit，cannotbetrulygivenexpressiontointhemannerinwhichartexpressesitsIdea。Thislastisalwaysamethodpertainingtointuitiveperception；andonaccountofthissensuousformofexistencetheworkofartcannotcorrespondtothespirit。Thusbecausethepointlastarrivedatisdesignatedasthefacultyofimagination，asart，eveninthesubjectthisisasubordinatepointofview，andthusinitselfthispointisnottheabsoluteidentityofsubjectivityandobjectivity。Insubjectivethought，rational，speculativethoughtisthusindeeddemanded，butifthisappearsfalsetoyounothingfurthercanbesaidthanthatyoudonotpossessintellectualintuition。Theprovingofanything，themakingitcomprehensible，isthusabandoned；acorrectapprehensionofitisdirectlydemanded，andtheIdeaisthusassertoricallypre-establishedasprinciple。TheAbsoluteistheabsoluteidentityofsubjectiveandobjective，theabsoluteindifferenceofrealandideal，offormandessence，ofuniversalandparticular；inthisidentityofthetwothereisneithertheonenortheother。Buttheunityisnotabstract，empty，anddry；thatwouldsignifylogicalidentity，classificationaccordingtosomethingcommontoboth，inwhichthedifferenceremainsallthewhileoutside。Theidentityisconcrete:itissubjectivityaswellasobjectivity；thetwoarepresentthereinasabrogatedandideal。Thisidentitymayeasilybeshownintheordinaryconception:theconception，wemayforexamplesay，issubjective；ithas，too，thedeterminatecontentofexclusioninreferencetootherconceptions；nevertheless，theconceptionissimple—itisoneact，oneunity。

WhatislackinginSchelling\'sphilosophyisthusthefactthatthepointofindifferenceofsubjectivityandobjectivity，ortheNotionofreason，isabsolutelypre-supposed，withoutanyattemptbeingmadeatshowingthatthisisthetruth。SchellingoftenusesSpinoza\'sformofprocedure，andsetsupaxioms。Inphilosophy，whenwedesiretoestablishitposition，wedemandproof。Butifwebeginwithintellectualintuition，thatconstitutesanoracletowhichwehavetogiveway，sincetheexistenceofintellectualintuitionwasmadeourpostulate。Thetrueproofthatthisidentityofsubjectiveandobjectiveisthetruth，couldonlybebroughtaboutbymeansofeachofthetwobeinginvestigatedinitslogical，i。e。essentialdeterminations；andinregardtothem，itmustthenbeshownthatthesubjectivesignifiesthetransformationofitselfintotheobjective，andthattheobjectivesignifiesitsnotremainingsuch，butmakingitselfsubjective。Similarlyinthefinite，itwouldhavetobeshownthatitcontainedacontradictioninitself，andmadeitselfinfinite；inthiswayweshouldhavetheunityoffiniteandinfinite。Insodoing，thisunityofoppositesisnotassertedbeforehand，butintheoppositesthemselvesitisshownthattheirtruthistheirunity，butthateachtakenbyitselfisone-sided—thattheirdifferenceveersround，castingitselfheadlongintothisunity—whiletheunderstandingallthetimethinksthatinthesedifferencesitpossessessomethingfixedandsecure。Theresultofthinkingcontemplationwouldinthisformercasebethateachmomentwouldsecretlymakeitselfintoitsopposite，theidentityofbothbeingalonethetruth。Theunderstandingcertainlycallsthistransformationsophistry，humbug，juggling，andwhat-not。Asaresult，thisidentitywould，accordingtoJacobi，beonewhichwasnodoubtconditionedandofsetpurposeproduced。Butwemustremarkthataone-sidedpointofviewisinvolvedinapprehendingtheresultofdevelopmentmerelyasaresult；itisaprocesswhichislikewisemediationwithinitself，ofsuchanaturethatthismediationisagainabrogatedandassertedasimmediate。Schelling，indeed，hadthisconceptioninageneralway，buthedidnotfollowitoutinadefinitelogicalmethod，forwithhimitremainedanimmediatetruth，whichcanonlybeverifiedbymeansofintellectualintuition。ThatisthegreatdifficultyinthephilosophyofSchelling。Andthenitwasmisunderstoodandallinteresttakenfromit。Itiseasyenoughtoshowthatsubjectiveandobjectivearedifferent。Weretheynotdifferent，nothingcouldbemadeofthemanymorethanofA=A；buttheyareinoppositionasone。Inallthatisfinite，anidentityispresent，andthisaloneisactual；butbesidesthefactthatthefiniteisthisidentity，itisalsotruethatitistheabsenceofharmonybetweensubjectivityandobjectivity，Notionandreality；anditisinthisthatfinitudeconsists。TothisprincipleofSchelling\'s，form，ornecessity，isthuslacking，itisonlyasserted。

SchellingappearstohavethisincommonwithPlatoandtheNeo-Platonists，thatknowledgeistobefoundintheinwardintuitionofeternalIdeaswhereinknowledgeisunmediatedintheAbsolute。

ButwhenPlatospeaksofthisintuitionofthesoul，whichhasfreeditselffromallknowledgethatisfinite，empirical，orreflected，andtheNeo-PlatoniststelloftheecstasyofthoughtinwhichknowledgeistheimmediateknowledgeoftheAbsolute，thisdefinitedistinctionmustbenoticed，viz。，thatwithPlato\'sknowledgeoftheuniversal，orwithhisintellectuality，whereinalloppositionasarealityisabrogated，dialecticisassociated，ortherecognizednecessityfortheabrogationoftheseopposites；Platodoesnotbeginwiththis，forwithhimthemovementinwhichtheyabrogatethemselvesispresent。TheAbsoluteisitselftobelookedatasthismovementofself-abrogation；

thisistheonlyactualknowledgeandknowledgeoftheAbsolute。WithSchellingthisideahas，however，nodialecticpresentinitwherebythoseoppositesmaydeterminethemselvestopassoverintotheirunity，andinsodoingtobecomprehended。

2。SchellingbeginswiththeideaoftheAbsoluteasidentityofthesubjectiveandobjective，andaccordinglythereevinceditselfinthepresentationsofhissystemwhichfollowed，thefurthernecessityofprovingthisidea；thisheattemptedtodointhetwoJournalsofSpeculativePhysics。

Butifthatmethodbeonceadopted，theprocedureisnotimmanentdevelopmentfromthespeculativeIdea，butitfollowsthemodeofexternalreflection。Schelling\'sproofsareadducedinsuchanexceedinglyformalmannerthattheyreallyinvariablypresupposetheverythingthatwastobeproved。Theaxiomassumesthemainpointinquestion，andalltherestfollowsasamatterofcourse。Hereisaninstance:“TheinnermostessenceoftheAbsolutecanonlybethoughtofasidentityabsolute，altogetherpureandundisturbed。FortheAbsoluteisonlyabsolute，andwhatisthoughtinitisnecessarilyandinvariablythesame，orinotherwords，isnecessarilyandinvariablyabsolute。IftheideaoftheAbsolutewereageneralNotion”(orconception)，“thiswouldnotpreventadifferencebeingmetwithinit，notwithstandingthisunityoftheabsolute。ForthingsthemostdifferentareyetintheNotionalwaysoneandidentical，justasarectangle，apolygonandacircleareallfigures。ThepossibilityofthedifferenceofallthingsinassociationwithperfectunityintheNotionliesinthemannerinwhichtheparticularinthemiscombinedwiththeuniversal。IntheAbsolutethisaltogetherdisappears，becauseitpertainstotheveryideaoftheAbsolutethattheparticularinitisalsotheuniversal，andtheuniversaltheparticular；andfurtherthatbymeansofthisunityformandexistencearealsooneinit。Consequently，inregardtotheAbsolute，fromthefactofitsbeingtheAbsolute，therelikewisefollowstheabsoluteexclusionfromitsexistenceofalldifference，andthatatonce。”(14)

Intheformerofthetwoabove-namedworks，the“JournalofSpeculativePhysics，”SchellingbeganbyagainbringingforwardtheSubstanceofSpinoza，simple，absoluteExistence，inasmuchashemakeshisstarting-pointtheabsoluteidentityofthesubjectiveandobjective。Here，likeSpinoza，heemployedthemethodofgeometry，layingdownaxiomsandprovingbymeansofpropositions，thengoingontodeduceotherpropositionsfromthere，andsoon。Butthismethodhasnorealapplicationtophilosophy。Schellingatthispointlaiddowncertainformsofdifference，towhichhegavethenameofpotencies，adoptingthetermfromEschenmayer，whomadeuseofit(p。514)；(15)theyareready-madedifferences，whichSchellingavailshimselfof。Butphilosophymustnottakeanyformsfromothersciences，asherefrommathematics。WithSchelling，theleadingformisthatwhichwasbroughtintoremembranceagainbyKant，theformoftriplicityasfirst，second，andthirdpotency。

Schelling，likeFichte，beginswithI=I，orwiththeabsoluteintuition，expressedaspropositionordefinitionoftheAbsolute，thatReasonistheabsoluteindifferenceofsubjectandobject:sothatitisneithertheonenortheother，forbothhaveinittheirtruedetermination；andtheiropposition，likeallothers，isutterlydoneawaywith。Thetruerealityofsubjectandobjectisplacedinthisalone，thatthesubjectisnotpositedinthedeterminationofsubjectagainstobject，asinthephilosophyofFichte；itisnotdeterminedasinitselfexistent，butassubject-object，astheidentityofthetwo；inthesamewaytheobjectisnotpositedaccordingtoitsidealdeterminationasobject，butinasfarasitisitselfabsolute，ortheidentityofthesubjectiveandobjective。Buttheexpression“indifference”isambiguous，foritmeansindifferenceinregardtoboththeoneandtheother；andthusitappearsasifthecontentofindifference，theonlythingwhichmakesitconcrete，wereindifferent。Schelling\'snextrequirementisthatthesubjectmustnotbehamperedwithreflection；thatwouldbebringingitunderthedeterminationoftheunderstanding，which，equallywithsensuousperception，impliestheseparatenessofsensuousthings。Astotheformofitsexistence，absoluteindifferenceiswithSchellingpositedasA=A；andthisformisforhimtheknowledgeofabsoluteidentity，which，however，isinseparablefromtheBeingorexistenceofthesame。(16)

Thus，therefore，opposition，asformandrealityorexistence，nodoubtappearsinthisAbsolute，butitisdeterminedasamerelyrelativeorunessentialopposition:“Betweensubjectandobjectnootherthanquantitativedifferenceispossible。Fornoqualitativedifferenceasregardsthetwoisthinkable，”becauseabsoluteidentity“ispositedassubjectandobjectonlyasregardstheformofitsBeing，notasregardsitsexistence。Thereisconsequentlyonlyaquantitativedifferenceleft，”

i。e。onlythatofmagnitude:andyetdifferencemustreallybeunderstoodasqualitative，andmustthusbeshowntobeadifferencewhichabrogatesitself。Thisquantitativedifference，saysSchelling，istheformactu:“Thequantitativedifferenceofsubjectiveandobjectiveisthebasisofallfinitude。Eachdeterminedpotencymarksadeterminedquantitativedifferenceofthesubjectiveandobjective。EachindividualBeingistheresultofaquantitativedifferenceofsubjectivityandobjectivity。TheindividualexpressesabsoluteidentityunderadeterminedformofBeing:“sothateachsideisitselfarelativetotality，A=B，andatthesametimetheonefactorpreponderatesintheone，andtheotherfactorintheother，butbothremainabsoluteidentity。(17)Thisisinsufficient，forthereareotherdeterminations；differenceisundoubtedlyqualitative，althoughthisisnottheabsolutedetermination。Quantitativedifferenceisnotruedifference，butanentirelyexternalrelation；andlikewisethepreponderanceofsubjectiveandobjectiveisnotadeterminationofthought，butamerelysensuousdetermination。

TheAbsoluteitself，insofarasthepositingofdifferenceistakenintoaccount，isdefinedbySchellingasthequantitativeindifferenceofsubjectiveandobjective:inrespecttoabsoluteidentitynoquantitativedifferenceisthinkable。“Quantitativedifferenceisonlypossibleoutsideofabsoluteidentity，andoutsideofabsolutetotality。Thereisnothinginitselfoutsideoftotality，exceptingbyvirtueofanarbitraryseparationoftheindividualfromthewhole。Absoluteidentityexistsonlyundertheformofthequantitativeindifferenceofsubjectiveandobjective。”Quantitativedifference，whichappearsoutsideofabsoluteidentityandtotality，istherefore，accordingtoSchelling，initselfabsoluteidentity，andconsequentlythinkableonlyundertheformofthequantitativeindifferenceofthesubjectiveandobjective。“Thisoppositiondoesnotthereforeoccurinitself，orfromthestandpointofspeculation。FromthisstandpointAexistsjustasmuchasB

does；forAlikeBisthewholeabsoluteidentity，whichonlyexistsunderthetwoforms，butunderbothofthemalike。Absoluteidentityistheuniverseitself。TheformofitsBeingcanbethoughtofundertheimageofaline，”asshownbythefollowingscheme:

++

A=BA=B

A=A

“inwhichthesameidentityispositedineachdirection，butwithAorBpreponderatinginoppositedirections。”(18)Ifwegointodetails，themainpointsfromanelementarypointofviewarethefollowing。

ThefirstpotencyisthatthefirstquantitativedifferenceoftheAbsolute，or“thefirstrelativetotalityismatter。Proof:A=Bisnotanythingrealeitherasrelativeidentityorasrelativeduplicity。

AsidentityA=B，intheindividualasinthewhole，canbeexpressedonlybytheline，"—thefirstdimension。“ButinthatlineAispositedthroughoutasexistent，”i。e。itisatthesametimerelatedtoB。“ThereforethislinepresupposesA=Basrelativetotalitythroughout；relativetotalityisthereforethefirstpresupposition，andifrelativeidentityexists，itexistsonlythroughrelativetotality，"—thisisduplicity，theseconddimension。“Inthesamewayrelativeduplicitypresupposesrelativeidentity。Relativeidentityandduplicityarecontainedinrelativetotality，notindeedactu，butyetpotentia。Thereforethetwooppositesmustmutuallyextinguisheachotherinathird”dimension。“AbsoluteidentityastheimmediatebasisoftherealityofAandBinmatter，istheforceofgravitation。IfApreponderateswehavetheforceofattraction，ifBpreponderateswehavethatofexpansion。Thequantitativepositingoftheforcesofattractionandexpansionpassesintotheinfinite；theirequilibriumexistsinthewhole，notintheindividual。”(19)FrommatterasthefirstindifferenceinimmediacySchellingnowpassesontofurtherdeterminations。

Thesecondpotency(A2)islight，thisidentityitselfpositedasexistent；insofarasA=B，A2isalsoposited。Thesameidentity，“positedundertheformofrelativeidentity，”i。e。ofthepolaritywhichwefindappearing“inAandB，istheforceofcohesion。Cohesionistheimpressionmadeonmatterbytheself-hood”oflight“orbypersonality，wherebymatterfirstemergesasparticularoutoftheuniversalidentity，andraisesitselfintotherealmofform。”Planets，metalsandotherbodiesformaserieswhichundertheformofdynamiccohesionexpressesparticularrelationsofcohesion，inwhichontheonehandcontractionpreponderates，andontheotherhandexpansion。

ThosepotenciesappearwithSchellingasnorthandsouth，eastandwestpolarity:theirdevelopmentsfurtherappearasnorth-west，south-east，&c。HecountsasthelastpotencyMercury，Venus，theEarth，&c。Hecontinues:“CohesionoutsideofthepointofindifferenceItermpassive。Towardsthenegativeside”(orpole)“fallsomeofthemetalswhichstandnexttoiron，afterthemtheso-calledpreciousmetals，”thenthe“diamond，andlastlycarbon，thegreatestpassivecohesion。Towardsthepositiveside，again，somemetalsfall，inwhichthecohesivenatureofirongraduallydiminishes，”i。e。approachesdisintegration，andlastly“disappearsinnitrogen。”

Activecohesionismagnetism，andthematerialuniverseisaninfinitemagnet。Themagneticprocessisdifferenceinindifference，andindifferenceindifference，andthereforeabsoluteidentityassuch。Theindifferencepointofthemagnetisthe“neithernor”andthe“aswellas”；thepolesarepotentiallythesameessence，onlypositedundertwofactorswhichareopposed。Bothpolesdepend“onlyuponwhether+or—preponderates”；theyarenotpureabstractions。“Inthetotalmagnettheempiricalmagnetistheindifferencepoint。Theempiricalmagnetisiron。Allbodiesaremeremetamorphosesofiron—theyarepotentiallycontainediniron。Everytwodifferentbodieswhichtoucheachothersetupmutuallyineachotherrelativediminutionandincreaseofcohesion。

Thismutualalterationofcohesionbymeansofthecontactoftwodifferentbodiesiselectricity；thecohesion-diminishingfactor+Eisthepotencyofhydrogen，-Eisthepotencyofoxygen。“Thetotalityofthedynamicprocessisrepresentedonlybythechemicalprocess。”(20)

“Bythepositingofthedynamictotalitytheadditionoflight，isdirectlypositedasaproduct。Theexpression，thetotalproduct，thereforesignifieslightcombinedwiththeforceofgravitation；bythepositingoftherelativetotalityofthewholepotency，theforceofgravityisdirectlyreducedtothemereformoftheBeingofabsoluteidentity。”Thisisthethirdpotency(A3)，theorganism。(21)

Schellinglaunchedoutintotoomanyindividualdetails，ifhedesiredtoindicatetheconstructionofthewholeuniverse。Ontheonehand，however，hedidnotcompletethisrepresentation，andontheotherhand，hehasconfinedhimselfmainlytoimplicitexistence，andhasmixedtherewiththeformalismofexternalconstructionaccordingtoapresupposedscheme。Inthisrepresentationheadvancedonlyasfarastheorganism，anddidnotreachthepresentationoftheothersideofknowledge，i。e。thephilosophyofspirit。Schellingbegantimeaftertime，inaccordancewiththeideaimpliedinthisconstruction，toworkoutthenaturaluniverse，andespeciallytheorganism。Hebanishesallsuchmeaninglesstermsasperfection，wisdom，outwardadaptability；or，inotherwords，theKantianformula，thatathingappearssoandsotoourfacultyofknowledge，istransformedbyhimintothisotherformula，thatsuchandsuchistheconstitutionofNature。

FollowingupKant\'smeagreattemptatdemonstratingspiritinnature，hedevotedspecialattentiontoinauguratinganewthismodeofregardingnature，soastorecognizeinobjectiveexistencethesameschematism，thesamerhythm，asispresentintheideal。Hencenaturerepresentsitselfthereinnotassomethingalientospirit，butasbeinginitsgeneralaspect，aprojectionofspiritintoanobjectivemode。

WehavefurthertoremarkthatSchellingbythistheorybecametheoriginatorofmodernNaturalPhilosophy，sincehewasthefirsttoexhibitNatureasthesensuousperceptionortheexpressionoftheNotionanditsdeterminations。NaturalPhilosophyisnonewscience；wemetwithitcontinually—intheworksofAristotle，forinstance，andelsewhere。EnglishPhilosophyisalsoamereapprehensioninthoughtofthephysical；forces，lawsofNature，areitsfundamentaldeterminations。TheoppositionofphysicsandNaturalPhilosophyisthereforenottheoppositionoftheunthinkingandthethinkingviewofNature；NaturalPhilosophymeans，ifwetakeitinitswholeextent，nothingelsethanthethoughtfulcontemplationofNature；butthisistheworkofordinaryphysicsalso，sinceitsdeterminationsofforces，laws，&c。，arethoughts。Theonlydifferenceisthatinphysicsthoughtsareformalthoughtsoftheunderstanding，whosematerialandcontentcannot，asregardstheirdetails，bedeterminedbythoughtitself，butmustbetakenfromexperience。Butconcretethoughtcontainsitsdeterminationanditscontentinitself，andmerelytheexternalmodeofappearancepertainstothesenses。If，then，Philosophypassesbeyondtheformoftheunderstanding，andhasapprehendedthespeculativeNotion，itmustalterthedeterminationsofthought，thecategoriesoftheunderstandingregardingNature。Kantwasthefirsttosetaboutthis；andSchellinghassoughttograsptheNotionofNature，insteadofcontentinghimselfwiththeordinarymetaphysicsofthesame。Natureistohimnothingbuttheexternalmodeofexistenceasregardsthesystemofthought-forms，justasmindistheexistenceofthesamesystemintheformofconsciousness。ThatforwhichwehavetothankSchelling，therefore，isnotthathebroughtthoughttobearonthecomprehensionofNature，butthathealteredthecategoriesaccordingtowhichthoughtapplieditselftoNature；heintroducedformsofReason，andappliedthem—ashedidtheformofthesyllogisminmagnetism，forinstance—inplaceoftheordinarycategoriesoftheunderstanding。HehasnotonlyshowntheseformsinNature，buthasalsosoughttoevolveNatureoutofaprincipleofthiskind。

Inthe“FurtherExpositionoftheSystemofPhilosophy”whichthe“NewJournalforSpeculativePhysics”furnishes，Schellingchoseotherforms；for，byreasonofincompletelydevelopedformandlackofdialectic，hehadrecoursetovariousformsoneafteranother，becausehefoundnoneofthemsufficient。Insteadoftheequilibriumofsubjectivityandobjectivity，henowspeaksoftheidentityofexistenceandform，ofuniversalandparticular，offiniteandinfinite，ofpositiveandnegative，andhedefinesabsoluteindifferencesometimesinoneandsometimesinanotherformofopposition，justaccordingtochance。Allsuchoppositionsmaybeemployed；buttheyareonlyabstract，andrefertodifferentstagesinthedevelopmentofthelogicalprincipleitself。FormandessencearedistinguishedbySchellinginthisway，thatform，regardedonitsownaccount，istheparticular，ortheemergingofdifference，subjectivity。Butrealexistenceisabsoluteformorabsoluteknowledgeimmediatelyinitself，aself-consciousexistenceinthesenseofthinkingknowledge，justaswithSpinozaithadtheformofsomethingobjectiveorinthought。SpeculativePhilosophyistobefoundinthisassertion，notthatitassertsanindependentphilosophy，foritispurelyorganization；knowledgeisbasedontheAbsolute。ThusSchellinghasagaingiventotranscendentalIdealismthesignificanceofabsoluteIdealism。Thisunityofexistenceandformisthus，accordingtoSchelling，theAbsolute；orifweregardrealityastheuniversal，andformastheparticular，theAbsoluteistheabsoluteunityofuniversalandparticular，orofBeingandknowledge。Thedifferentaspects，subjectandobject，oruniversalandparticular，areonlyidealoppositions；theyareintheAbsoluteentirelyandaltogetherone。Thisunityasformisintellectualintuition，whichpositsThinkingandBeingasabsolutelyalike，andasitformallyexpressestheAbsolute，itbecomesatthesametimetheexpressionofitsessence。Hewhohasnotthepowerofimagination，wherebyhemayrepresentthisunitytohimself，isdeficientintheorganofPhilosophy。

Butinthisconsiststhetrueabsolutenessofallandeach，thattheoneisnotrecognizedasuniversal，andtheotherasparticular，buttheuniversalinthisitsdeterminationisrecognizedasunitoftheuniversalandparticular，andinlikemannertheparticularisrecognizedastheunityofboth。

ConstructionmerelyconsistsinleadingbackeverythingdeterminedandparticularintotheAbsolute，orregardingitasitisinabsoluteunity；itsdeterminatenessisonlyitsidealmoment，butitstruthisreallyitsBeingintheAbsolute。Thesethreemomentsorpotencies—thatofthepassingofexistence(theinfinite)intoform(thefinite)，andofformintoexistence(whicharebothrelativeunities)，andthethird，theabsoluteunity，thusrecuranewineachindividual。HenceNature，therealoractualaspect，asthepassingofexistenceintoformoroftheuniversalintotheparticular，itselfagainpossessesthesethreeunitiesinitself，andinthesamewaytheidealaspectdoesso；

thereforeeachpotencyisonitsownaccountoncemoreabsolute。Thisisthegeneralideaofthescientificconstructionoftheuniverse—torepeatineachindividualalikethetriplicitywhichistheschemeofthewhole，therebytoshowtheidentityofallthings，andindoingsotoregardthemintheirabsoluteessence，sothattheyallexpressthesameunity。(22)

Themoredetailedexplanationisextremelyformal:“Existencepassesintoform—thistakenbyitselfbeingtheparticular(thefinite)—bymeansoftheinfinitebeingaddedtoit；unityisreceivedintomultiplicity，indifferenceintodifference。”Theotherassertionis:“Formpassesintoexistencebythefinitebeingreceivedintotheinfinite，differenceintoindifference。”Butpassingintoandreceivingintoaremerelysensuousexpressions。“Otherwiseexpressed，theparticularbecomesabsoluteformbytheuniversalbecoming，onewithit，andtheuniversalbecomesabsoluteexistencebytheparticularbecomingonewithit。Butthesetwounities，asintheAbsolute，arenotoutsideofoneanother，butinoneanother，andthereforetheAbsoluteisabsoluteindifferenceofformandexistence，”asunityofthisdoublepassing-into-one。“Bymeansofthesetwounitiestwodifferentpotenciesaredetermined，butinthemselvestheyareboththeexactlyequalrootsoftheAbsolute。”

(23)Thatisamereassertion，thecontinualreturnaftereachdifferentiation，whichisperpetuallyagainremovedoutoftheAbsolute。

“OfthefirstabsolutetransformationtherearecopiesinphenomenalNature；thereforeNature，regardedinitself，isnothingelsethanthatfirsttransformationasitexistsintheabsolute(unseparatedfromtheother)。Forbymeansoftheinfinitepassingintothefinite，existencepassesintoform；sincethenformobtainsrealityonlybymeansofexistence，existence，whenithaspassedintoformwithoutformhaving(accordingtotheassumption)similarlypassedintoexistence，canberepresentedonlyaspotentialityorgroundofreality，butnotasindifferenceofpossibilityandactuality。Butthatwhichmaybedescribedthus，namelyasexistence，insofarasthatismeregroundofreality，andthereforehasreallypassedintoform，althoughformhasnotinturnpassedintoit，iswhatpresentsitselfasNature。—Existencemakesitsappearanceinform，butinreturnform，alsomakesitsappearanceinexistence；thisistheotherunity，”thatofmind。“Thisunityisestablishedbythefinitebeingreceivedintotheinfinite。Atthispointform，astheparticular，strikesintoexistence，anditselfbecomesabsolute。Formwhichpassesintoexistenceplacesitselfasabsoluteactivityandpositivecauseofrealityinoppositiontotheexistencewhichpassesintoform，andwhichappearsonlyasground。ThepassingofabsoluteformintoexistenceiswhatwethinkofasGod，andtheimagesorcopiesofthistransformationareintheidealworld，whichisthereforeinitsimplicitudetheotherunity。”(24)Eachofthesetwotransformations，then，isthewholetotality，not，however，positedandnotappearingastotality，butwiththeoneortheotherfactorpreponderating；eachofthetwosphereshas，therefore，initselfagainthesedifferences，andthusineachofthemthethreepotenciesaretobefound。

Thegroundorbasis，Natureasbasismerely，ismatter，gravity，asthefirstpotency；thispassingofformintoexistenceisintheactualworlduniversalmechanism，necessity。Butthesecondpotencyis“thelightwhichshinethindarkness，formwhichhaspassedintoexistence。Theabsoluteunificationofthetwounitiesinactuality，sothatmatterisaltogetherform，andformisaltogethermatter，isorganism，thehighestexpressionofNatureasitisinGod，andofGodasHeisinNature，inthefinite。”Ontheidealside“KnowledgeistheessenceoftheAbsolutebroughtintothedaylightofform；actionisatransformationofform，astheparticular，intotheessenceoftheAbsolute。Asintherealworldformthatisidentifiedwithessenceappearsaslight，sointheidealworldGodHimselfappearsinparticularmanifestationasthelivingformwhichhasemergedinthepassingofformintoessence，sothatineveryrespecttheidealandrealworldareagainrelatedaslikenessandsymbol。Theabsoluteunificationofthetwounitiesintheideal，sothatmaterialiswhollyformandformwhollymaterial，istheworkofart；andthatsecrethiddenintheAbsolutewhichistherootofallrealitycomeshereintoview，inthereflectedworlditself，inthehighestpotencyandbiggestunionofGodandNatureasthepowerofimagination。”OnaccountofthatpermeationartandpoetrythereforeholdthehighestrankinSchelling\'sestimation。ButartistheAbsoluteinsensuousformalone。Whereandwhatcouldtheworkofartbe，whichshouldcorrespondtotheIdeaofthespirit？“TheuniverseisformedintheAbsoluteasthemostperfectorganicexistenceandthemostperfectworkofart:forReason，whichrecognizestheAbsoluteinit，itpossessesabsolutetruth；fortheimagination，whichrepresentstheAbsoluteinit，itpossessesabsoluteBeauty。Eachoftheseexpressestheverysameunity，”regarded“fromdifferentsides；

andbotharriveattheabsoluteindifferencepointintherecognitionofwhichliesboththebeginningandtheaimofrealknowledge。”(25)ThishighestIdea，thesedifferences，aregraspedasawholeinaveryformalmanneronly。

3。TherelationofNaturetoSpirit，andtoGod，theAbsolute，hasbeenstatedbySchellingelsewhere，i。e。inhislaterexpositions，asfollows:hedefinestheexistenceofGodasNature—insofarasGodconstitutesHimselfitsgroundorbasis，asinfiniteperception—andNatureisthusthenegativemomentinGod，sinceintelligenceandthoughtexistonlybymeansoftheoppositionofoneBeing。Forinoneofhiswritings，directedonsomeparticularoccasionagainstJacobi，SchellingexplainshimselffurtherwithregardtothenatureofGodandHisrelationtoNature。Hesays:“God，ormoreproperlytheexistencewhichisGod，isground:HeisgroundofHimselfasamoralBeing。But”then“itisgroundthatHemakesHimself"—notcause。Somethingmustprecedeintelligence，andthatsomethingisBeing—"sincethoughtistheexactoppositeofBeing。

Thatwhichisthebeginningofanintelligencecannotbeinitsturnintelligent，sincetherewouldotherwisebenodistinction；butitcannotbeabsolutelyunintelligent，fortheveryreasonthatitisthepotentialityofanintelligence。Itwillaccordinglybesomethingbetweenthese，i。e。itwilloperatewithwisdom，butasitwerewithaninnate，instinctive，blind，andyet，unconsciouswisdom；justasweoftenbearthosewhoareunderaspellutteringwordsfallofunderstanding，butnotutteringthemwithcomprehensionoftheirmeaning，butasitwereowingtoaninspiration。”God，therefore，asthisgroundofHimself，isNature—NatureasitisinGod；thisistheviewtakenofNatureinNaturalPhilosophy。(26)ButtheworkoftheAbsoluteistoabrogatethisground，andtoconstituteitselfIntelligence。OnthisaccountSchelling\'sphilosophyhaslaterbeentermedaPhilosophyofNature，andthatinthesenseofauniversalphilosophy，whileatfirstNaturalPhilosophywasheldtobeonlyapartofthewhole。

ItisnotincumbentonusheretogiveamoredetailedaccountofSchelling\'sphilosophy，ortoshowpointsintheexpositionshithertogivenbyhimwhicharefarfromsatisfactory。ThesystemisthelatestformofPhilosophywhichwehadtoconsider，anditisaformbothinterestingandtrue。

Inthefirstplacespecialemphasis，indealingwithSchelling，mustbelaidontheideathathehasgraspedthetrueastheconcrete，astheunityofsubjectiveandobjective。ThemainpointinSchelling\'sphilosophythusisthatitsinterestcentresroundthatdeep，speculativecontent，which，ascontent，isthecontentwithwhichPhilosophyintheentirecourseofitshistoryhashadtodo。

TheThoughtwhichisfreeandindependent，notabstract，butinitselfconcrete，comprehendsitselfinitselfasanintellectuallyactualworld；andthisisthetruthofNature，Natureinitself。ThesecondgreatmeritpossessedbySchellingistohavepointedoutinNaturetheformsofSpirit；thuselectricity，magnetism，&c。，areforhimonlyexternalmodesoftheIdea。HisdefectisthatthisIdeaingeneral，itsdistinctionintotheidealandthenaturalworld，andalsothetotalityofthesedeterminations，arenotshownforthanddevelopedasnecessitatedinthemselvesbytheNotion。

AsSchellinghasnotrisentothispointofview，hehasmisconceivedthenatureofthought；theworkofartthusbecomesforhimthesupremeandonlymodeinwhichtheIdeaexistsforspirit。

ButthesuprememodeoftheIdeaisreallyitsownelement；thought，theIdeaapprehended，isthereforehigherthantheworkofart。TheIdeaisthetruth，andallthatistrueistheIdea；thesystematizingoftheIdeaintotheworldmustbeprovedtobeanecessaryunveilingandrevelation。

WithSchelling，ontheotherhand，formisreallyanexternalscheme，andhismethodistheartificialapplicationofthisschemetoexternalobjects。Thisexternallyappliedschemetakestheplaceofdialecticprogress；andthisisthespecialreasonwhythephilosophyofNaturehasbroughtitselfintodiscredit，thatithasproceededonanaltogetherexternalplan，hasmadeitsfoundationaready-madescheme，andfittedintoitNatureasweperceiveit。TheseformswerepotencieswithSchelling，butinsteadofmathematicalformsoratypeofthoughtlikethis，bysomeothermensensuousformshavebeentakenasbasis，justasweresulphurandmercurybyJacobBoehme。

Forinstance，magnetism，electricity，andchemistryhavebeendefinedtobethethreepotenciesinNature，andthusintheorganismreproductionhasbeentermedchemistry；irritability，electricity；

andsensibility，magnetism。(27)InthiswaytherehascreptintoNaturalPhilosophythegreatformalismofrepresentingeverythingasaseries，whichisasuperficialdeterminationwithoutnecessity，sinceinsteadofNotionswefindformulas。Brilliantpowersofimaginationaredisplayed，suchaswereexhibitedbyG？rres。ThismistakeofapplyingformswhicharetakenfromonesphereofNaturetoanothersphereofthesamehasbeencarriedalongway；Oken，forexample，callswood-fibresthenervesandbrainoftheplant，andisalmostcrazyonthesubject。Philosophywouldinthiswaybecomeaplayofmereanalogicalreflections；anditisnotwiththesebutwiththoughtsthatwehavetodo。Nervesarenotthoughts，anymorethansuchexpressionsaspoleofcontraction，ofexpansion，masculine，feminine，&c。TheformalplanofapplyinganexternalschemetothesphereofNaturewhichonewishestoobserve，istheexternalworkofNaturalPhilosophy，andthisschemeisitselfderivedfromtheimagination。Thatisamostfalsemodeofproceeding；Schellingtookadvantageofittosomeextent，othershavemadeacompletemisuseofit。Allthisisdonetoescapethought；nevertheless，thoughtistheultimatesimpledeterminationwhichhastobedealtwith。

ItisthereforeofthegreatestimportancetodistinguishSchelling\'sphilosophy，ontheonehand，fromthatimitationofitwhichthrowsitselfintoanunspiritualfarragoofwordsregardingtheAbsolute；and，ontheotherhand，fromthephilosophyofthoseimitators，who，owingtoafailuretounderstandintellectualintuition，giveupcomprehension，andwithittheleadingmomentofknowledge，andspeakfromso-calledintuition，i。e。theytakeaglanceatthethinginquestion，andhavingfastenedonitsomesuperficialanalogyordefinition，theyfancytheyhaveexpresseditswholenature，whileinpointoffacttheyputanendtoallcapacityforattainingtoscientificknowledge。Thiswholetendencyplacesitself，inthefirstplace，inoppositiontoreflectivethought，ortoprogressinfixed，steadfast，immovableNotions。ButinsteadofremainingintheNotionandrecognizingitastheunrestingego，theyhavelightedontheoppositeextremeofpassiveintuition，ofimmediateBeingoffixedimplicitude；andtheythinkthattheycanmakeupforthelackoffixitybysuperficialobservation，andcanrenderthisobservationintellectualbydeterminingitoncemorebysomefixedNotionorother；ortheybringtheirmindstobearontheobjectofconsiderationbysaying，forinstance，thattheostrichisthefishamongbirds，becausehehasalongneck—fishbecomesageneralterm，butnotaNotion。Thiswholemodeofreasoning，whichhasforceditswayintonaturalhistoryandnaturalscience，aswellasintomedicine，isamiserableformalism，anirrationalmedleyofthecrudestempiricismwiththemostsuperficialidealdeterminationsthatformalismeverdescendedto。ThephilosophyofLockeisnotsocrudeasitis，foritisnotawhitbetterineitheritscontentoritsform，anditiscombinedwithfoolishself-conceitintothebargain。

Philosophyonthisaccountsankintogeneralandwell-deservedcontempt，suchasisforthemostpartextendedtothosewhoassertthattheyhaveamonopolyofphilosophy。Insteadofearnestnessofapprehensionandcircumspectionofthought，wefindinthemajugglingwithidlefancies，whichpassfordeepconceptions，loftysurmises，andevenforpoetry:andtheythinktheyarerightinthecentreofthingswhentheyareonlyonthesurface。Five-and-twentyyearsago(28)

thecasewasthesamewithpoeticart；atasteforingeniousconceitstookpossessionofit，andtheeffusionsofitspoeticinspirationcameforthblindlyfromitself，shotoutasfromapistol。Theresultswereeithercrazyravings，or，iftheywerenotravings，theywereprosesodullthatitwasunworthyofthenameofprose。Itisjustthesameinthelaterphilosophies。Whatisnotutterlysenselessdrivelabouttheindifference-pointandpolarity，aboutoxygen，theholy，theinfinite，&c。，ismadeupofthoughtssotrivialthatwemightwelldoubtourhavingcorrectlyapprehendedtheirmeaning，inthefirstplacebecausetheyaregivenforthwithsucharroganteffrontery，andinthesecondplacebecausewecannothelptrustingthatwhatwassaidwasnotgotrivialasitseems。AsinthePhilosophyofNaturemenforgottheNotionandproceededinadeadunspiritualcourse，soheretheylosesightofspiritentirely。Theyhavestrayedfromtherightroad；forbytheirprinciple，Notionandperceptionareoneunity，butinpointoffactthisunity，thisspirit，itselfemergesinimmediacy，andisthereforeinintuitiveperception，andnotintheNotion。

1。Schelling\'sphilosophischeSchriften(Landshut，1809，Vol。I。VomIchalsPrincipderPhilosophie，pp。1-114)，pp。3，4(firstedition，Tübingen，1795，pp。4-7)。

2。HisbirthplaceisusuallystatedtohavebeenLeonberg，ashortdistancefromSchorndorf-[Translators\'note。]

3。Lecturesof1816-1817。[Translators\'note。]

4。Schelling\'sphilosophischeSchriften:VomIchalsPrincipderPhilosophie，p。99seq。(p。178

seq。)。

5。Ibidem，pp。23，24(pp。38-42)。

6。Ibidem，p。83(p。150)。

7。Schelling\'sSystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，p。257，not。ZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。II。No。2，p。92。

8。Lecturesof1805-1806。

9。Schelling:SystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，pp。1-7，17-21。

10。Schelling:SystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，pp。24-46，49-52，55-58，63-65。

11。Schelling:SystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，pp。69，70，72-79。

12。Schelling:SystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，pp。85，86，89，98，442-444。

13。Schelling:SystemdestranscendentalenIdealismus，pp。471，472，475。

14。Schelling:NeueZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。I。PartI。pp。52，53。

15。KritischesJournalderPhilosophie，publishedbySchellingandHegel，Vol。I。PartI。p。67；

Schelling:ZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。II。No。II。Preface，p。xiii。

16。Schelling:ZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。II。No。II。§1，pp。1，2；§4，p。4；§

16-18，pp。10-12。

17。Ibidem，§22-24，pp。13-15；§37，38，pp。22，23；§40-42，pp。25，26。

18。Schelling:ZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。II。No。II。§25，26，28，30-32，pp。15-19；

§44，46，pp。27-29。

19。Schelling:ZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。II。No。II。§50，No。1，§51，pp。34-36；§

54，p。40；§57andnote，pp。42-44。

20。Schelling:Zeitschriftfürspec。Phys。，Vol。II。No。II。§62-64，pp。47，48；§92，93，pp。59，60；§67-69，pp。49，50；§95，pp。64-68；(NeneZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。I。PartII。pp。92，93，98，117-119；ErsterEntwufteinesSystemsderNatur-philosophie，p。297；§

76-78，p。53；§83andAppendix，p。54；§103，Note，p。76；§112，p。84。

21。Ibidem，§136，137，pp。109，110；§141，AppendixI。p。112。

22。Schelling:NeueZeitschriftfürspeculativePhysik，Vol。I。PartI。pp。1-77；PartII。pp。1-38。

23。Schelling:Ibidem，Vol。I。PartII。p。39。

24。Schelling:Ibidem，Vol。I。PartII。pp。39-41。

25。Schelling，Ibidem，Vol。I。PartII。pp。41-50。

26。Schelling:DenkmalderSchriftvondeng？ttlichenDingen，pp。94，85，86(PhilosophischeUntersuchungenüberdasWesendermenschlichenFreiheitindenPhilosophischenSchriften，Vol。

I。Landshut，1809，p。429)，89-93。

27。Cf。Schelling\'sErsterEntwurfderNatur-philosophie，p。297。

28。Fromthelecturesof1805-1806。

SectionThree:RecentGermanPhilosophyE。FinalResult。

ThepresentstandpointofphilosophyisthattheIdeaisknowninitsnecessity；thesidesofitsdiremption，NatureandSpirit，areeachofthemrecognizedasrepresentingthetotalityoftheIdea，andnotonlyasbeinginthemselvesidentical，butasproducingthisoneidentityfromthemselves；

andinthiswaytheidentityisrecognizedasnecessary。Nature，andtheworldorhistoryofspirit，arethetworealities；whatexistsasactualNatureisanimageofdivineReason；theformsofself-consciousReasonarealsotheformsofNature。TheultimateaimandbusinessofphilosophyistoreconcilethoughtortheNotionwithreality。Itiseasyfromsubordinatestandpointstofindsatisfactioninmodesofintuitiveperceptionandoffeeling。Butthedeeperthespiritgoeswithinitself，themorevehementistheopposition，themoreabundantisthewealthwithout；thedepthistobemeasuredbythegreatnessofthecravingwithwhichspiritseekstofinditselfinwhatliesoutsideofitself。Wesawthethoughtwhichapprehendsitselfappearing；itstrovetomakeitselfconcretewithinitself。Itsfirstactivityisformal；Aristotlewasthefirsttosaythatisthethoughtofthought。Theresultisthethoughtwhichisathomewithitself，andatthesametimeembracestheuniversetherein，andtransformsitintoanintelligentworld。Inapprehensionthespiritualandthenaturaluniverseareinterpenetratedasoneharmoniousuniverse，whichwithdrawsintoitself，andinitsvariousaspectsdevelopstheAbsoluteintoatotality，inorder，bytheveryprocessofsodoing，tobecomeconsciousofitselfinitsunity，inThought。Philosophyisthusthetruetheodicy，ascontrastedwithartandreligionandthefeelingswhichthesecallup-areconciliationofspirit，namelyofthespiritwhichhasapprehendeditselfinitsfreedomandintherichesofitsreality。

TothispointtheWorld-spirithascome，andeachstagehasitsownforminthetruesystemofPhilosophy；nothingislost，allprinciplesarepreserved，sincePhilosophyinitsfinalaspectisthetotalityofforms。Thisconcreteideaistheresultofthestrivingsofspiritduringalmosttwenty-fivecenturiesofearnestworktobecomeobjectivetoitself，toknowitself:

Tant？moliserat，seipsamcognoscerementem。

Allthistimewasrequiredtoproducethephilosophyofourday；sotardilyandslowlydidtheWorld-spiritworktoreachthisgoal。Whatwepassinrapidreviewwhenwerecallit，stretcheditselfoutinrealitytothisgreatlengthoftime。Forinthislengthenedperiod，theNotionofSpirit，investedwithitsentireconcretedevelopment，itsexternalsubsistence，itswealth，isstrivingtobringspirittoperfection，tomakeprogressitselfandtodevelopfromspirit。Itgoeseveronandon，becausespiritisprogressalone。Spiritoftenseemstohaveforgottenandlostitself，butinwardlyopposedtoitself，itisinwardlyworkingeverforward(aswhenHamletsaysoftheghostofhisfather，“Wellsaid，oldmole！canstworki\'thegroundsofast？”(1))untilgrownstronginitselfitburstsasunderthecrustofearthwhichdivideditfromthesun，itsNotion，sothattheearthcrumblesaway。Atsuchatime，whentheencirclingcrust，likeasoullessdecayingtenement，crumblesaway，andspiritdisplaysitselfarrayedinnewyouth，thesevenleaguebootsareatlengthadopted。Thisworkofthespirittoknowitself，thisactivitytofinditself，isthelifeofthespiritandthespirititself。ItsresultistheNotionwhichittakesupofitself；thehistoryofPhilosophyisarevelationofwhathasbeentheaimofspiritthroughoutitshistory；itisthereforetheworld\'shistoryinitsinnermostsignification。Thisworkofthehumanspiritintherecessesofthoughtisparallelwithallthestagesofreality；andthereforenophilosophyoverstepsitsowntime。Theimportancewhichthedeterminationsofthoughtpossessedisanothermatter，whichdoesnotbelongtothehistoryofPhilosophy。TheseNotionsarethesimplestrevelationoftheWorldspirit:intheirmoreconcreteformtheyarehistory。

Wemust，therefore，inthefirstplacenotesteemlightlywhatspirithaswon，namelyitsgainsuptothepresentday。AncientPhilosophyistobereverencedasnecessary，andasalinkinthissacredchain，butallthesamenothingmorethanalink。Thepresentisthehigheststagereached。Inthesecondplace，allthevariousphilosophiesarenomerefashionabletheoriesofthetime，oranythingofasimilarnature；theyareneitherchanceproductsnortheblazeofafireofstraw，norcasualeruptionshereandthere，butaspiritual，reasonable，forwardadvance；theyareofnecessityonePhilosophyinitsdevelopment，therevelationofGod，asHeknowsHimselftobe。Whereseveralphilosophiesappearatthesametime，theyaredifferentsideswhichmakeuponetotalityformingtheirbasis；andonaccountoftheirone-sidednessweseetherefutationoftheonebytheother。Inthethirdplacewedonotfindherefeeblelittleeffortstoestablishortocriticizethisorthatparticularpoint；insteadofthat，eachphilosophysetsupanewprincipleofitsown，andthismustberecognized。

IfweglanceatthemainepochsinthewholehistoryofPhilosophy，andgraspthenecessarysuccessionofstagesintheleadingmoments，eachofwhichexpressesadeterminateIdea，wefindthataftertheOrientalwhirlofsubjectivity，whichattainstonointelligibilityandthereforetonosubsistence，thelightofthoughtdawnedamongtheGreeks。

1。ThephilosophyoftheancientshadtheabsoluteIdeaasitsthought；andtherealizationorrealityofthesameconsistedincomprehendingtheexistingpresentworld，andregardingitasitisinitsabsolutenature。Thisphilosophydidnotmakeitsstarting-pointtheIdeaitself，butproceededfromtheobjectiveasfromsomethinggiven，andtransformedthesameintotheIdea；theBeingofParmenides。

2。Abstractthought，becameknowntoitselfasuniversalessenceorexistence，notassubjectivethought；theUniversalofPlato。

3。InAristotletheNotionemerges，freeandunconstrained，ascomprehendingthought，permeatingandspiritualizingalltheformswhichtheuniversecontains。

4。TheNotionassubject，itsindependence，itsinwardness，abstractseparation，isrepresentedbytheStoics，EpicureansandSceptics:herewehavenotthefree，concreteform，butuniversalityabstractandinitselfformal。

5。Thethoughtoftotality，theintelligibleworld，istheconcreteIdeaaswehaveseenitwiththeNeo-Platonists。Thisprincipleisidealitygenerallyspeaking，whichispresentinallreality，butnottheIdeawhichknowsitself:thisisnotreacheduntiltheprincipleofsubjectivity，individuality，foundaplaceinit，andGodasspiritbecameactualtoHimselfinself-consciousness。

6。ButithasbeentheworkofmoderntimestograspthisIdeaasspirit，astheIdeathatknowsitself。InordertoproceedfromtheconsciousIdeatotheself-conscious，wemusthavetheinfiniteopposition，namelythefactthattheIdeahascometotheconsciousnessofbeingabsolutelysunderedintwain。Asspirithadthethoughtofobjectiveexistence，Philosophythusperfectedtheintellectualityoftheworld，andproducedthisspiritualworldasanobjectexistingbeyondpresentreality，likeNature，-thefirstcreationofspirit。TheworkofthespiritnowconsistedinbringingthisBeyondbacktoreality，andguidingitintoself-consciousness。Thisisaccomplishedbyself-consciousnessthinkingitself，andrecognizingabsoluteexistencetobetheself-consciousnessthatthinksitself。WithDescartespurethoughtdirecteditselfonthatseparationwhichwespokeofabove。Self-consciousness，inthefirstplace，thinksofitselfasconsciousness；thereiniscontainedallobjectivereality，andthepositive，intuitivereferenceofitsrealitytotheotherside。WithSpinozaThoughtandBeingareopposedandyetidentical；hehastheintuitiveperceptionofsubstance，buttheknowledgeofsubstanceinhiscaseisexternal。Wehaveheretheprincipleofreconciliationtakingitsrisefromthoughtassuch，inordertoabrogatethesubjectivityofthought:thisisthecaseinLeibnitz\'smonad，whichpossessesthepowerofrepresentation。

7。Inthesecondplace，self-consciousnessthinksofitselfasbeingself-consciousness；inbeingself-consciousitisindependent，butstillinthisindependenceithasanegativerelationtowhatisoutsideself-consciousness。Thisisinfinitesubjectivity，whichappearsatonetimeasthecritiqueofthoughtinthecaseofKant，andatanothertime，inthecaseofFichte，asthetendencyorimpulsetowardstheconcrete。Absolute，pure，infiniteformisexpressedasself-consciousness，theEgo。

8。Thisisalightthatbreaksforthonspiritualsubstance，andshowsabsolutecontentandabsoluteformtobeidentical；-substanceisinitselfidenticalwithknowledge。Self-consciousnessthus，inthethirdplace，recognizesitspositiverelationasitsnegative，anditsnegativeasitspositive，or，inotherwords，recognizestheseoppositeactivitiesasthesame，i。e。itrecognizespureThoughtorBeingasself-identity，andthisagainasseparation。Thisisintellectualperception；butitisrequisiteinorderthatitshouldbeintruthintellectual，thatitshouldnotbethatmerelyimmediateperceptionoftheeternalandthedivinewhichwehearof，butshouldbeabsoluteknowledge。Thisintuitiveperceptionwhichdoesnotrecognizeitselfistakenasstarting-pointasifitwereabsolutelypresupposed；ithasinitselfintuitiveperceptiononlyasimmediateknowledge，andnotasself-knowledge:oritknowsnothing，andwhatitperceivesitdoesnotreallyknow，-for，takenatitsbest，itconsistsofbeautifulthoughts，butnotknowledge。

Butintellectualintuitionisknowledge，since，inthefirstplace，inspiteoftheseparationofeachoftheopposedsidesfromtheother，allexternalrealityisknownasinternal。Ifitisknownaccordingtoitsessence，asitis，itshowsitselfasnotexistingofitself，butasessentiallyconsistinginthemovementoftransition。ThisHeracliteanorScepticalprinciple，thatnothingisatrest，mustbedemonstratedofeachindividualthing；andthusinthisconsciousness-thattheessenceofeachthingliesindetermination，inwhatistheoppositeofitself-thereappearstheapprehendedunitywithitsopposite。Similarlythisunityis，inthesecondplace，toberecognizedeveninitsessence；

itsessenceasthisidentityis，inthesameway，topassoverintoitsopposite，ortorealizeitself，tobecomeforitselfsomethingdifferent；andthustheoppositioninitisbroughtaboutbyitself。Again，itmaybesaidoftheopposition，inthethirdplace，thatitisnotintheAbsolute；thisAbsoluteisexistence，theeternal，&c。Thisis，however，itselfanabstractioninwhichtheAbsoluteisapprehendedinaone-sidedmanneronly，andtheoppositionisapprehendedonlyasideal(supra，p。536)；butinfactitisform，astheessentialmomentofthemovementoftheAbsolute。ThisAbsoluteisnotatrest，andthatoppositionisnottheunrestingNotion；fortheIdea，unrestingthoughitis，isyetatrestandsatisfiedinitself。Purethoughthasadvancedtotheoppositionofthesubjectiveandobjective；thetruereconciliationoftheoppositionistheperceptionthatthisopposition，whenpushedtoitsabsoluteextreme，resolvesitself；asSchellingsays，theoppositesareinthemselvesidentical-andnotonlyinthemselves，buteternallifeconsistsintheveryprocessofcontinuallyproducingtheoppositionandcontinuallyreconcilingit。Toknowoppositioninunity，andunityinopposition-thisisabsoluteknowledge；andscienceistheknowledgeofthisunityinitswholedevelopmentbymeansofitself。

ThisisthenthedemandofalltimeandofPhilosophy。Anowepochhasarisenintheworld。ItwouldappearasiftheWorld-spirithadatlastsucceededinstrippingofffromitselfallalienobjectiveexistence，andapprehendingitselfatlastasabsoluteSpirit，indevelopingfromitselfwhatforitisobjective，andkeepingitwithinitsownpower，yetremainingatrestallthewhile。Thestrifeofthefiniteself-consciousnesswiththeabsoluteself-consciousness，whichlastseemedtotheothertolieoutsideofitself，nowcomestoanend。Finiteself-consciousnesshasceasedtobefinite；andinthiswayabsoluteself-consciousnesshas，ontheotherhand，attainedtotherealitywhichitlackedbefore。Thisisthewholehistoryoftheworldingeneraluptothepresenttime，andthehistoryofPhilosophyinparticular，thesoleworkofwhichistodepictthisstrife。Now，indeed，itseemstohavereacheditsgoal，whenthisabsoluteself-consciousness，whichithadtheworkofrepresenting，hasceasedtobealien，andwhenspiritaccordinglyisrealizedasspirit。Foritbecomessuchonlyastheresultofitsknowingitselftobeabsolutespirit，andthisitknowsinrealscientificknowledge。SpiritproducesitselfasNature，astheState；natureisitsunconsciouswork，inthecourseofwhichitappearstoitselfsomethingdifferent，andnotspirit；butintheState，inthedeedsandlifeofHistory，asalsoofArt，itbringsitselftopasswithconsciousness；itknowsveryvariousmodesofitsreality，yettheyareonlymodes。Inscientificknowledgealoneitknowsitselfasabsolutespirit；andthisknowledge，orspirit，isitsonlytrueexistence。Thisthenisthestandpointofthepresentday，andtheseriesofspiritualformsiswithitforthepresentconcluded。

AtthispointIbringthishistoryofPhilosophytoaclose。IthasbeenmydesirethatyoushouldlearnfromitthatthehistoryofPhilosophyisnotablindcollectionoffancifulideas，norafortuitousprogression。Ihaverathersoughttoshowthenecessarydevelopmentofthesuccessivephilosophiesfromoneanother，sothattheoneofnecessitypresupposesanotherprecedingit。ThegeneralresultofthehistoryofPhilosophyisthis:inthefirstplace，thatthroughoutalltimetherehasbeenonlyonePhilosophy，thecontemporarydifferencesofwhichconstitutethenecessaryaspectsoftheoneprinciple；inthesecondplace，thatthesuccessionofphilosophicsystemsisnotduetochance，butrepresentsthenecessarysuccessionofstagesinthedevelopmentofthisscience；inthethirdplace，thatthefinalphilosophyofaperiodistheresultofthisdevelopment，andistruthinthehighestformwhichtheself-consciousnessofspiritaffordsofitself。Thelatestphilosophycontainsthereforethosewhichwentbefore；itembracesinitselfallthedifferentstagesthereof；itistheproductandresultofthosethatprecededit。Wecannow，forexample，bePlatonistsnolonger。

Moreoverwemustraiseourselvesonceforallabovethepettinessesofindividualopinions，thoughts，objections，anddifficulties；andalsoaboveourownvanity，asifourindividualthoughtswereofanyparticularvalue。Fortoapprehendtheinwardsubstantialspiritisthestandpointoftheindividual；aspartsofthewhole，individualsarelikeblindmen，whoaredrivenforwardbytheindwellingspiritofthewhole。OurstandpointnowisaccordinglytheknowledgeofthisIdeaasspirit，asabsoluteSpirit，whichinthiswayopposestoitselfanotherspirit，thefinite，theprincipleofwhichistoknowabsolutespirit，inorderthatabsolutespiritmaybecomeexistentforit。IhavetriedtodevelopandbringbeforeyourthoughtsthisseriesofsuccessivespiritualformspertainingtoPhilosophyinitsprogress，andtoindicatetheconnectionbetweenthem。Thisseriesisthetruekingdomofspirits，theonlykingdomofspiritsthatthereis-itisaserieswhichisnotamultiplicity，nordoesitevenremainaseries，ifweunderstandtherebythatoneofitsmembersmerelyfollowsonanother；butintheveryprocessofcomingtotheknowledgeofitselfitistransformedintothemomentsoftheoneSpirit，ortheoneself-presentSpirit。Thislongprocessionofspiritsisformedbytheindividualpulseswhichbeatinitslife；theyaretheorganismofoursubstance，anabsolutelynecessaryprogression，whichexpressesnothinglessthanthenatureofspirititself，andwhichlivesinusall。Wehavetogiveeartoitsurgency-whenthemolethatiswithinforcesitswayon-andwehavetomakeitareality。ItismydesirethatthishistoryofPhilosophyshouldcontainforyouasummonstograspthespiritofthetime，whichispresentinusbynature，and-eachinhisownplace-consciouslytobringitfromitsnaturalcondition，i。e。fromitslifelessseclusion，intothelightofday。

IhavetoexpressmythankstoyoufortheattentionwithwhichyouhavelistenedtomewhileI

havebeenmakingthisattempt；itisingreatmeasureduetoyouthatmyeffortshavemetwithsogreatameasureofsuccess。Andithasbeenasourceofpleasuretomyselftohavebeenassociatedwithyouinthisspiritualcommunity；Ioughtnottospeakofitasifitwereathingofthepast，forIhopethataspiritualbondhasbeenknitbetweenuswhichwillprovepermanent。Ibidyouamostheartyfarewell。

(Theclosinglectureoftheserieswasgivenonthe22ndMarch，1817；onthe14thMarch，1818；

onthe12thAugust，1819；onthe23rdMarch，1821；onthe30thMarch，1824；onthe28thMarch，1828；andonthe26thMarch，1830。)

TheEnd