phenomenology of mind-第118章

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The　religion　of　art　belongs　to　the　spirit　animating　the　ethical　sphere；　the　spirit　which　we　formerly
saw　sink　and　disappear　in　the　condition　of　right；（3）　i。e。　in　the　proposition：　〃The　self　as　such；　the
abstract　person；　is　absolute　Being。〃　In　ethical　life　the　self　is　absorbed　in　the　spirit　of　its　nation；　it　is
universality　filled　to　the　full。　Simple　abstract　individuality；　however；　rises　out　of　this　content；　and　its
lightheartedness　clarifies　and　rarifies　it　till　it　becomes　a　〃person〃　and　attains　the　abstract　universality
of　right。　Here　the　substantial　reality　of　the　ethical　spirit　is　lo；；t；　the　abstract　insubstantial　spirits　of
national　individuals　are　gathered　together　into　a　pantheon；　not　into　a　pantheon　represented　in　idea
（Vorstellung）；　whose　impotent　form　lets　each　alone　to　do　as　it　likes；　but　into　the　pantheon　of
abstract　universality；　of　pure　thought；　which　disembodies　them；　and　bestows　on　the　spiritless　self；
on　the　individual　person；　complete　existence　on　its　own　account。

But　this　self；　through　its　being　empty；　has　let　the　content　go；　this　consciousness　is　Being　merely
within　itself。　Its　own　existence；　the　legal　recognition　of　the　person；　is　an　unfulfilled　empty
abstraction。　It　thus　really　possesses　merely　the　thought　of　itself；　in　other　words；　as　it　there　exists
and　knows　itself　as　object；　it　is　something　unreal。　Consequently；　it　is　merely　stoic　independence；
the　independence　of　thought；　and　this　finds；　by　passing　through　the　process　of　scepticism；　its
ultimate　truth　in　that　form　we　called　the　〃unhappy　self…consciousness〃　—　the　soul　of　despair。

This　knows　how　the　case　stands　with　the　actual　claims　to　validity　which　the　abstract　＇legal＇　person
puts　forward；　as　also　with　the　validity　of　this　person　in　pure　thought　＇in　Stoicism＇。　It　knows　that　a
vindication　of　such　validity　means　really　being　altogether　lost；　it　is　just　this　loss　become　conscious
of　itself；　and　is　the　surrender　and　relinquishment　of　its　knowledge　about　itself。　We　see　that　this
〃unhappy　consciousness〃　constituted　the　counterpart　and　the　complement　of　the　perfectly　happy
consciousness；　that　of　comedy。　All　divine　reality　goes　back　into　this　latter　type　of　consciousness；　it
means；　in　other　words；　the　complete　relinquishment　and　emptying　of　substance。　The　former；　on　the
contrary；　is　conversely　the　tragic　fate　that　befalls　certainty　of　self　which　aims　at　being　absolute；　at
being　self…sufficient。　It　is　consciousness　of　the　loss　of　everything　of　significance　in　this　certainty　of
itself；　and　of　the　loss　even　of　this　knowledge　or　certainty　of　self…the　loss　of　substance　as　well　as　of
self；　it　is　the　bitter　pain　which　finds　expression　in　the　cruel　words；　〃God　is　dead〃。（4）

In　the　condition　of　right　or　law；　then；　the　ethical　world　has　vanished；　and　its　type　of　religion　has
passed　away　in　the　mood　of　Comedy。　The　〃unhappy　consciousness〃　the　soul　of　despair；　is　just　the
knowledge　of　all　this　loss。　It　has　lost　both　the　worth　and　dignity　it　attached　to　its　immediate
personality　＇as　a　legal　person＇　as　well　as　that　attaching　to　its　personality　when　reflected　in　the
medium　of　thought　＇in　the　case　of　Stoicism＇。　Trust　in　the　eternal　laws　of　the　Gods　is　likewise
silenced；　just　as　the　oracles　are　dumb；　who　pretended　to　know　what　to　do　in　particular　cases。　The
statues　set　up　are　now　corpses　in　stone　whence　the　animating　soul　has　flown；　while　the　hymns　of
praise　are　words　from　which　all　belief　has　gone。　The　tables　of　the　gods　are　bereft　of　spiritual　food
and　drink；　and　from　his　games　and　festivals　man　no　more　receives　the　joyful　sense　of　his　unity　with
the　divine　Being。　The　works　of　the　muse　lack　the　force　and　energy　of　the　spirit　which　derived　the
certainty　and　assurance　of　itself　just　from　the　crushing　ruin　of　gods　and　men。　They　are　themselves
now　just　what　they　are　for　us　—　beautiful　fruit　broken　off　the　tree；　a　kindly　fate　has　passed　on
those　works　to　us；　as　a　maiden　might　offer　such　fruit　off　a　tree。　Their　actual　life　as　they　exist　is　no
longer　there；　not　the　tree　that　bore　them；　not　the　earth；　and　the　elements；　which　constituted　their
substance；　nor　the　climate　that　determined　their　constitutive　character；　nor　the　change　of　seasons
which　controlled　the　process　of　their　growth。　So　too　it　is　not　their　living　world　that　Fate　preserves
and　gives　us　with　those　works　of　ancient　art；　not　the　spring　and　summer　of　that　ethical　life　in　which
they　bloomed　and　ripened；　but　the　veiled　remembrance　alone　of　all　this　reality。　Our　action；
therefore；　when　we　enjoy　them　is　not　that　of　worship；　through　which　our　conscious　life　might　attain
its　complete　truth　and　be　satisfied　to　the　full：　our　action　is　external；　it　consists　in　wiping　off　some
drop　of　rain　or　speck　of　dust　from　these　fruits；　and　in　place　of　the　inner　elements　composing　the
reality　of　the　ethical　life；　a　reality　that　environed；　created　and　inspired　these　works；　we　erect　in
prolix　detail　the　scaffolding　of　the　dead　elements　of　their　outward　existence；　—　language；　historical
circumstances；　etc。　All　this　we　do；　not　in　order　to　enter　into　their　very　life；　but　only　to　represent
them　ideally　or　pictorially　（vorstellen）　within　ourselves。　But　just　as　the　maiden　who　hands　us　the
plucked　fruits　is　more　than　the　nature　which　presented　them　in　the　first　instance　—　the　nature　which
provided　all　their　detailed　conditions　and　elements；　tree；　air；　light；　and　so　on　—　since　in　a　higher
way　she　gathers　all　this　together　into　the　light　of　her　self…conscious　eye；　and　her　gesture　in　offering
the　gifts；　so　too　the　spirit　of　the　fate；　which　presents　us　with　those　works　of　art；　is　more　than　the
ethical　life　realized　in　that　nation。　For　it　is　the　inwardizing　in　us；　in　the　form　of　conscious　memory
（Er…Innerung）；　of　the　spirit　which　in　them　was　manifested　in　a　still　external　way；　—　it　is　the　spirit
of　the　tragic　fate　which　collects　all　those　individual　gods　and　attributes　of　the　substance　into　the
one　Pantheon；　into　the　spirit　which　is　itself　conscious　of　itself　as　spirit。

All　the　conditions　for　its　production　are　present；　and　this　totality　of　its　conditions　constitutes　the
development　of　it；　its　notion；　or　the　inherent　production　of　it。　The　cycle　of　the　creations　of　art
embraces　in　its　scope　all　forms　in　which　the　absolute　substance　relinquishes　itself。　The　absolute
substance　is　in　the　form　of　individuality　as　a　thing；　as　an　object　existing　for　sense　experience；　as
pure　language；　or　the　process　of　that　form　whose　existence　does　not　get　away　from　the　self；　and　is
a　purely　evanescent　object；　as　immediate　unity　with　universal　self…consciousness　when　inspired
with　enthusiasm；　as　mediated　unity　when　performing　the　acts　of　the　cult；　as　corporeal　embodiment
of　the　self　in　a　form　of　beauty；　and　finally　as　existence　lifted　into　ideal　representation　（Vorstellung）
and　the　expansion　of　this　existence　into　a　world　which　at　length　gathers　its　content　together　into
universality；　a　universal　which　is　at　the　same　time　pure　certainty　and　assurance　of　itself。　These
forms；　and；　on　the　other　side；　the　world　of　personality　and　legal　right；　the　wild　and　desert　waste　of
content　with　its　constituent　elements　set　free　and　detached；　as　also　the　thought…constituted
personality　of　Stoicism；　and　the　unresting　disquiet　of　Scepticism　—　these　compose；　the　periphery
of　the　circle　of　shapes　and　forms；　which　attend。；　an　expectant　and　eager　throng；　round　the
birthplace　of　spirit　as　it　becomes　self…consciousness。　Their　centre　is　the　yearning　agony　of　the
unhappy　despairing　self…consciousness；　a　pain　which　permeates　all　of　them　and　is　the　common
birthpang　at　its　production；　—　the　simplicity　of　the　pure　notion；　which　contains　those　forms　as　its
moments。

Spirit；　here；　has　in　it　two　sides；　which　are　above　represented　as　the　two　converse　propositions：
one　is　this；　that　substance　empties　itself　of　itself；　and　becomes　self…consciousness；　the　other　is　the
converse；　that　self…consciousness　empties　itself　of　itself　and　makes　itself　into　the　form　of　〃thing〃；　or
makes　itself　universal　self。　Both　sides　have　in　this　way　met　each　other；　and　in　consequence；　their
true　union　has　arisen。　The　relinquishment　or　〃kenosis〃　on　the　part　of　the　substance；　its　becoming
self…consciousness；　expresses　the　transition　into　the　opposite；　the　unconscious　transition　of
necessity；　in　other　words；　that　it　is　implicitly　self…consciousness。　Conversely；　the　emptying　of
self…consciousness　expresses　this；　that　implicitly　it　is　Universal　Being；　or　—　because　the　self　is　pure
self…existence；　which　is　at　home　with　itself　in　its　opposite…that　the　substance　is　self…consciousness
explicitly　for　the　self；　and；　just　on　that　account；　is　spirit。　Of　this　spirit；　which　has　left　the　form　of
substance　behind；　and　enters　existence　in　the　shape　of　self…consciousness；　we　may　say；
therefore…if　we　wish　to　use　terms　drawn　from　the　process　of　natural　generation　—　that　it　has　a　real
mother　but　a　potential　or　an　implicit　father。　For　actual　reality；　or　self…consciousness；　and　implicit
being　in　the　sense　of　substance　are　its　two　moments；　and　by　the　reciprocity　of　their　kenosis；　each
relinquishing　or　〃emptying〃　itself　of　itself　and　becoming　the　other；　spirit　thus　comes　into　existence
as　their　unity。

In　so　far　as　self…consciousness　in　a　one…sided　way　grasps　only；　its　own　relinquishment；　although　its
object　is　thus　f　or　it　at　once　both　existence　and　self　and　it　knows　all　existence　to　be　spiritual　in
nature；　yet　true　spirit　has　not　become　thereby　objective　for　it。　For；　so　far；　being　in　general　or
substance；　would　not　essentially　from　its　side　be　also　emptied　of　itself；　and　become
self…consciousness。　In　that　case；　then；　all　existence　is　spiritual　reality　merely　from　the　standpoint　of
consciousness；　not　inherently　in　itself。　Spirit　in　this　way　has　merely　a　fictitious　or　imaginary
existence。（5）　This　imagination　is　fantastic　extravagance　of　mind；　which　introduces　into　nature　as
well　as　history；　the　World　and　the　mythical　ideas　of　early　religions；　another　inner　esoteric　meaning
different　from　what　they；　on　the　face　of　them；　bear　directly　to　consciousness；　and；　in　particular；　in
the　case　of　religions；　another　meaning　than　the　self…consciousness；　whose　religions　they　were；
actually　knew　to　be　there。　But　this　meaning　is　one　that　is　borrowed；　a　garment；　which　does　not
cover　the　nakedness　of　the　outer　appearance；　and　secures　no　belief　and　respect；　it　is　no　more　than
murky　darkness　and　a　peculiar　crazy　contortion　of　consciousness。

If　then　this　meaning　of　the　objective　is　not　to　be　bare　fancy　and　imagination；　it　must　be　inherent　and
essential　（an　sich）；　i。e。　must　in　the　first　place　arise　in　consciousness　as　springing　from　the　very
notion；　and　must　come　forth　in　its　necessity。　It　is　thus　that　self…knowing　spirit　has　arisen；　it　has
arisen　through　the　knowledge　of　immediate　consciousness；　i。e。　of　consciousness　of　the　existing
object；　by　means　of　its　necessary　process。　This　notion；　which；　being　immediate；　had　also；　for　its
consciousness；　the　shape　of　immediacy；　has；　in　the　second　place；　taken　on　the　form　of
self…consciousness　essentially　and　inherently；　i。e。　by　just　the　same　necessity　of　the　notion　by　which
being　or　immediacy；　the　abstract　object　of　self…consciousness；　renounces　itself　and　becomes；　for
consciousness；　Ego。　The　immediate　entity　（Ansich）；　or　＇obje