第 53 节
作者:桃桃逃      更新:2022-08-21 16:33      字数:9317
  moral and religious aspect; but it also holds good in reference to performances in art and science。
  The keen eye of a teacher who perceives in his pupil decided evidences of talent; may lead him to
  state his opinion that a Raphael of a Mozart lies hidden in the boy: and the result will show how far
  such an opinion was well…founded。 But if a daub of a painter; or a poetaster; soothe themselves by
  the conceit that their head is full of high ideas; their consolation is a poor one; and if they insist on
  being judged not by their actual works but by their projects; we may safely reject their pretensions
  as unfounded and unmeaning。 The converse case however also occurs。 In passing judgment on
  men who have accomplished something great and good; we often make use of the false distinction
  between inward and outward。 All that they have accomplished; we say; is outward merely;
  inwardly they were acting from some very different motive; such as a desire to gratify their vanity
  or other unworthy passion。 This is the spirit of envy。 Incapable of any great action of its own; envy
  tries hard to depreciate greatness and to bring it down to its own level。 Let us; rather; recall the
  fine expression of Goethe; that there is no remedy but Love against great superiorities of others。
  We may seek to rob men's great actions of their grandeur; by the insinuation of hypocrisy; but;
  though it is possible that men in an instance now and then may dissemble and disguise a good deal;
  they cannot conceal the whole of their inner self; which infallibly betrays itself in the decursus
  vitae。 Even here it is true that a man is nothing but the series of his actions。
  What is called the 'pragmatic' writing of history has in modern times frequently sinned in its
  treatment of great historical characters; and defaced and tarnished the true conception of them by
  this fallacious separation of the outward and the inward。 Not content with telling the unvarnished
  tale of the great acts which have been wrought by the heroes of the world's history; and wit
  acknowledging that their inward being corresponds with the import of their acts; the pragmatic
  historian fancies himself justified and even obliged to trace the supposed secret motives that lie
  behind the open facts of the record。 The historian; in that case; is supposed to write with more
  depth in proportion as he succeeds in tearing away the aureole from all that has been heretofore
  held grand and glorious; and in depressing it; so far as its origin and proper significance are
  concerned; to the level of vulgar mediocrity。 To make these pragmatic researches in history easier;
  it is usual to recommend the study of psychology; which is supposed to make us acquainted with
  the real motives of human actions。 The psychology in question however; is only that petty
  knowledge of men; which looks away from the essential and permanent in human nature to fasten
  its glance on the casual and private features shown in isolated instincts and passions。 A pragmatic
  psychology ought at leat to leave the historian; who investigates the motives at the ground of great
  actions; a choice between the 'substantial' interests of patriotism; justice; religious truth; and the
  like; on the one hand; and the subjective and 'formal' interests of vanity; ambition; avarice; and the
  like; on the other。 The latter; however; are the motives which must be viewed by the pragmatist as
  really efficient; otherwise the assumption of a contrast between inward (the disposition of the
  agent) and the outward (the import of he action) would fall to the ground。 But inward and outward
  have in truth the same content; and the right doctrine is the very reverse of this pedantic judiciality。
  If the heroes of history had been actuated by subjective and formal interests alone; they would
  never have accomplished what they have。 And if we have due regard to the unity between the
  inner and the outer; we must own that great men willed what they did; and did what they willed。
  §141
  The empty abstractions; by means of which the one identical content perforce
  continues in the two correlatives; suspend themselves in the immediate transition;
  the one into the other。 The content is itself nothing but their identity (§138): and
  these abstractions are the seeming of essence; put as seeming。 By the
  manifestation of force the inward is put into existence: but this putting is the
  mediation by empty abstractions。 In its own self the intermediating process
  vanishes to the immediacy; in which the inward and the outward are absolutely
  identical and their difference is distinctly no more than assumed and imposed。
  This identity is Actuality。
  ESSENCE: Second Subdivision of The Logic;
  C。 ACTUALITY
  Substantiality … Causality … Reciprocity
  § 142
  Actuality is the unity; become immediate; of essence with existence; or of inward
  with outward。 The utterance of the actual is the actual itself: so that in this
  utterance it remains just as essential; and only is essential; in so far as it is
  immediate external existence。
  We have ere this met Being and Existence as forms of the immediate。 Being is; in
  general; unreflected immediacy and transition into another。 Existence is immediate
  unity of being and reflection: hence appearance: it comes from the ground; and
  falls to the ground。
  In actuality this unity is explicitly put; and the two sides of the relation identified。
  Hence the actual is exempted from transition; and its externality is its energising。
  In that energising it is reflected into itself: its existence is only the manifestation of
  itself; not of another。
  § 142n
  Exists but not Real
  Actuality and thought (or Idea) are often absurdly opposed。 How commonly we hear people
  saying that; though no objection can be urged against the truth and correctness of a certain
  thought; there is nothing of the kind to be seen in reality; or it cannot be actually carried out!
  People who use such language only prove that they have not properly apprehended the nature
  either of thought or of actuality。 Thought in such a case is; one the one hand; the synonym for a
  subjective conception; plan; intention; or the like; just as actuality; on the other; is made
  synonymous with external and sensible existence。 This is all very well in common life; where great
  laxity is allowed in the categories and the names given to them; and it may of course happen that;
  e。g。; the plan; or so…called idea; say; of a certain method of taxation ; is good and advisable in the
  abstract; but that nothing of the sort is found in so…called actuality; or could possibly be carried out
  under the given conditions。 But when the abstract understanding gets hold of these categories and
  exaggerates the distinction they imply into a hard and fast line of contrast; when it tells us that in
  this actual world we must knock ideas out of our heads; it is necessary energetically to protest
  against these doctrines; alike in the name of science and of sound reason。 For on the one hand
  Ideas are not confined to our heads merely; nor is the Idea; on the whole; so feeble as to leave the
  question of its actualisation or non…actualisation dependent on our will。 The Idea is rather the
  absolutely active as well as actual。
  ?
  The Actual is Real
  And on the other hand actuality is not so bad and irrational; as purblind or wrong…headed and
  muddle…brained would…be reformers imagine。 So far is actuality; as distinguished from mere
  appearance; and primarily presenting a unity of inward and outward; from being in contrariety with
  reason; that it is rather thoroughly reasonable; and everything which is not reasonable must on that
  very ground cease to be held actual。 The same view may be traced in the usages of educated
  speech; which declines to give the name of real poet or real statesman to a poet or a statesman
  who can do nothing really meritorious or reasonable。 Aristotle to that of Plato。 Popular opinion
  makes the difference to be as follows。 While Plato recognises the idea and only the idea as the
  truth; Aristotle; rejecting the idea; keeps to what is actual; and is on that account to be considered
  the founder and chief of empiricism。 On this it may be remarked: that it is not the vulgar actuality of
  what is immediately at hand; but the idea as actuality。 Where then lies the controversy of Aristotle
  against Plato? It lies in this: Aristotle calls the Platonic idea a mere dynamis; and establishes in
  opposition to Plato that the idea; which both equally recognise to be the only truth; is essentially to
  be viewed as an energeia; in other words; as the inward which is quite to the fore; or as unity of
  inner and outer; or as actuality; in the emphatic sense here given to the word。
  § 143
  Actuality is concrete
  Such a concrete category as Actuality includes the characteristics aforesaid and
  their difference; and is therefore also the development of them; in such a way
  t