which　acquiesces　in　mere　grounds；　where　a　full　and　concrete　knowledge　is　sought。　Considerations
  to　this　effect　led　Leibnitz　to　contrast　causae　efficientes　and　causae　finales；　and　to　insist　on　the
  place　of　final　causes　as　the　conception　to　which　the　efficient　were　to　lead　up　。　If　we　adopt　this
  distinction；　light；　heat；　and　moisture　would　be　the　causae　efficientes；　not　causa　finalis　of　the
  growth　of　plants；　the　cause　finalis　is　the　notion　of　the　plant　itself。　。。。
  Existence
  §　122
  As　it　first　comes；　the　chief　feature　of　Essence　is　show　in　itself　and　intermediation
  in　itself。　But　when　it　has　completed　the　circle　of　intermediation；　its　unity　with
  itself　is　explicitly　put　as　the　self…annulling　of　difference；　and　therefore　of
  intermediation。　Once　more　then　we　come　back　to　immediacy　or　Being　…　but　Being
  in　so　fas　as　it　is　intermediated　by　annulling　the　intermediation。　And　that　Being　is
  Existence。
  The　ground　is　not　yet　determined　by　objective　principles　of　its　own；　nor　is　it　an
  end　or　final　cause：　hence　it　is　not　active；　not　productive。　An　Existence　only
  proceeds　from　the　ground。　The　determinate　ground　is　therefore　a　formal　matter：
  that　is　to　say；　any　point　will　do；　so　long　as　it　is　expressly　put　as　self…relation；　as
  affirmation；　in　correlation　with　the　immediate　existence　depending　on　it。　If　it　be　a
  ground　at　all；　it　is　a　good　ground：　for　the　term　'good'　is　employed　abstractly　as
  equivalent　to　affirmative；　and　any　point　（or　feature）　is　good　which　can　in　any　way
  be　enunciated　as　confessedly　affirmative。　So　it　happens　that　a　ground　can　be
  found　and　adduced　for　everything：　and　a　good　ground　（for　example；　a　good
  motive　for　action）　may　effect　something　or　may　not；　it　may　have　a　consequence
  or　it　may　not。　It　becomes　a　motive　（Strictly　so　called）　and　effects　something；　e。g。
  through　its　reception　into　a　will；　there　and　there　only　it　becomes　active　and　is
  made　a　cause。
  （b）　Existence
  §　123
  Existence　is　the　immediate　unity　of　reflection…into…self　and　reflection…into…other。　It
  follows　from　this　that　existence　is　the　indefinite　multitude　of　existents　as
  reflected…into…themselves；　which　at　the　same　time　equally　throw　light　upon　one
  another　…　which；　in　short；　are　co…relative；　and　form　a　world　of　reciprocal
  dependence　and　of　infinite　interconnection　between　grounds　and　consequents。
  The　grounds　are　themselves　existences：　and　the　existents　in　like　manner　are　in
  many　directions　grounds　as　well　as　consequents。
  §　123n
  The　phrase　'Existence'　（derived　from　existere）　suggests　the　fact　of　having　proceeded　from
  something。　Existence　is　Being　which　has　proceeded　from　the　ground；　and　has　reinstated　by
  annulling　its　intermediation。　The　Essence；　as　Being　set　aside　and　absorbed；　originally　came　are
  identity；　difference　and　ground。　The　last　is　the　unity　of　identity　and　difference；　and　because　it
  unifies　them　it　has　at　the　same　time　to　distinguish　itself　from　itself。　But　that　which　is　in　this　way
  distinguished　from　the　ground　is　as　little　mere　difference　as　the　ground　itself　is　abstract　sameness。
  The　ground　works　its　own　suspension：　and　when　suspended；　the　result　of　its　negation　is　existence。
  Having　issued　from　the　ground；　existence　contains　the　ground　in　it；　the　ground　does　not　remain；　as
  it　were；　behind　existence；　but　by　its　very　nature　supersedes　itself　and　translates　itself　into　existence。
  This　is　exemplified　even　in　our　ordinary　mode　of　thinking　when　we　look　upon　the　ground　of　a
  thing；　not　as　something　abstractly　inward；　but　as　itself　also　an　existent。　For　example；　the
  lightning…flash　which　has　set　a　house　on　fire　would　be　considered　the　ground　of　the　conflagration；
  or　the　manners　of　a　nation　and　the　conditions　of　its　life　would　be　regarded　as　the　ground　of　its
  constitution。　Such　indeed　is　the　ordinary　aspect　in　which　the　existence　world　originally　appears　to
  reflection　…　。an　indefinite　crowd　of　things　existent；　which　being　simultaneously　reflected　on
  themselves　and　on　one　another　are　related　reciprocally　as　ground　and　consequence。　In　this　motley
  play　of　the　world；　if　we　may　so　call　the　sum　of　existents；　there　is　nowhere　a　firm　footing　to　be
  found：　everything　bears　an　aspect　of　relativity；　conditioned　by　and　conditioning　something　else。
  The　reflective　understanding　makes　it　its　business　to　elicit　and　trace　these　connections　running　out
  in　every　direction：　but　the　question　touching　an　ultimate　design　is　so　far　left　unanswered；　and
  therefore　the　craving　of　the　reason　after　knowledge　passes　with　the　further　development　of　the
  logical　Idea　beyond　this　position　of　mere　relativity。
  Thing…in…itself
  §　124
  The　reflection…on…another　of　the　existent　is　however　inseparable　from
  reflection…into…self：　the　ground　is　their　unity；　from　which　existence　has　issued。
  The　existent　therefore　includes　relativity；　and　has　on　its　own　part　its　multiple
  interconnections　with　other　existents：　it　is　reflected　on　itself　as　its　ground。　The
  existent　is；　when　so　described；　a　Thing。
  The　'thing…in…itself'　（or　thing　in　the　abstract）；　so　famous　in　the　philosophy　of
  Kant；　shows　itself　here　in　its　genesis。　It　is　seen　to　be　the　abstract
  reflection…on…self；　which　is　so　clung　to；　to　the　exclusion　of
  reflection…into…other…things　and　of　all　predication　of　difference。
  The　thing…in…itself　therefore　is　the　empty　substratum　for　these　predicates　of
  relation。
  §　124n
  If　to　know　means　to　comprehend　an　object　in　its　concrete　character；　then　the　thing…in…itself；　which
  is　nothing　but　the　quite　abstract　and　indeterminate　thing　in　general；　must　certainly　be　as
  unknowable　as　it　is　alleged　to　be。　With　as　much　reason　however　as　we　speak　of　the　thing…in…itself；
  we　might　speak　of　quality…by…itself　or　quantity…by…itself；　and　of　any　other　category。　The　expression
  would　then　serve　to　signify　that　these　categories　are　taken　in　their　abstract　immediacy；　apart　from
  their　development　and　inward　character。　It　is　no　better　than　a　whim　of　the　understanding；
  therefore；　if　we　attach　the　qualificatory　'in…itself''　to　the　thing　only。　But　this　'in…itself'　is　also　applied
  to　the　facts　of　the　mental　as　well　as　the　natural　world：　as　we　speak　of　electricity　or　of　a　plant　in
  itself；　so　we　speak　of　man　or　the　state　in…itself。
  By　this　'in…itself'　in　these　objects；　we　are　meant　to　understand　what　they　strictly　and　properly　are。
  This　usage　is　liable　to　the　same　criticism　as　the　phrase　'thing…in…itself'。　For　if　we　stick　to　the　mere
  'in…itself'　of　an　object；　we　apprehend　it　not　in　its　truth；　but　in　the　inadequate　form　of　mere
  abstraction。　Thus　the　man；　in　himself；　is　the　child。　And　what　the　child　has　to　do　is　to　rise　out　of　this
  abstract　and　undeveloped　'in…himself'　and　become　'for　himself'　what　he　is　at　first　only　'in…himself'　…
  a　free　and　reasonable　being。　Similarly；　the　state…in…itself　is　the　yet　immature　and　patriarchal　state；
  where　the　various　political　functions；　latent　in　the　notion　of　the　state；　have　not　received　the　full
  logical　constitution　which　the　logic　of　political　principles　demands。
  In　the　same　sense；　the　germ　may　be　called　the　plant…in…itself。　These　examples　may　show　the
  mistake　of　supposing　that　the　'thing…in…itself'　of　things　is　something　inaccessible　to　our　cognition。　All
  things　are　originally　in…themselves；　but　that　is　not　the　end　of　the　matter。　As　the　germ；　being　the
  plant…in…itself；　means　self…development；　so　the　thing　in　general　passes　beyond　its　in…itself　（the
  abstract　reflection　on　self）　to　manifest　itself　further　as　a　reflection　on　other　things。　It　is　this　sense
  that　it　has　properties。
  （c）　The　Thing
  §　125
  Properties
  ＇a＇　The　Thing　is　the　totality…the　development　in　explicit　unity　of　the　categories　of
  the　ground　and　of　existence。　On　the　side　of　one　of　its　factors；　viz。
  reflection…on…other…things；　it　has　in　it　the　differences；　in　virtue　of　which　it　is　a
  characterised　and　concrete　thing。　These　characteristics　are　different　from　one
  another；　they　have　their　reflection…into…self　not　on　their　own　part；　but　on　the　part
  of　the　thing。　They　are　Properties　of　the　thing：　and　their　relation　to　the　thing　is
  expressed　by　the　word　'have'。
  As　a　term　of　relation；　'to　have'　takes　the　place　of　'to　be'。　True；　somewhat　has
  qualities　on　its　part　too：　but　this　transference　of　'having'　into　the　sphere　of　Being
  is　inexact；　because　the　character　as　quality　is　directly　one　with　the　somewhat；　and
  the　somewhat　ceases　to　be　when　it　loses　its　quality。　But　the　thing　is
  reflection…into…self：　for　it　is　an　identity　which　is　also　distinct　from　the　difference；
  i。e。　from　its　attributes。　In　many　languages　'have'　is　employed　to　denote　past　time。
  And　with　reason：　for　the　past　is　absorbed；　or　suspended　being；　and　the　mind　is　its
  reflection…into…self；　in　the　mind　only　it　continues　to　subsist…the　mind；　however；
  distinguishing　from　itself　this　being　in　it　which　has　been　absorbed　or　suspended。
  §　125n
  In　the　Thing　a