Hegel: Perceiving the true as substance and subject

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, as one of the most important German philosophers, developed many complicated and profound ideas. The following quote addresses one of his most relevant concepts:

"According to my insight, which must justify itself only through the presentation of the system itself, everything depends on understanding and expressing the true not as substance, but just as much as subject."

G. w. f. Hegel

Hegel's philosophy: substance and subject

Hegel talks here about two important concepts: substance and subject. In order to understand what he means, we must first clarify these terms.

• SubstanceIn philosophy, substance refers to that which exists independently and does not depend on anything else. It is that which is permanent while other things change. An example of a substance could be matter, of which all things are made.
• SubjectA subject, on the other hand, is a thinking being that possesses consciousness and self-awareness. It actively acts and experiences the world. In philosophy, the subject is often the person who thinks and reflects.

The true as substance and subject

In his quote, Hegel says that it is important to understand the true not only as a substance, but also as a subject. But what does he mean by this? Why should we do this?

In many philosophical traditions, the true has often been seen as something that exists outside of us, as a kind of immutable substance. For example, one could say that physical laws are true because they describe the fundamental structure of reality.

However, Hegel suggests that the true should not only be considered as such a substance. For him, the true is also something that is connected to human consciousness and human experience - that is, a subject. This means that the true does not simply exist independently of us, but that our thoughts, our actions and our consciousness play a role in what we recognize as true.

The importance of the system

Hegel also mentions that this insight must be "justified by the representation of the system itself". By this he means his own philosophical system, which views the whole of reality as an evolving whole. Within this system, Hegel shows how consciousness develops and how the true unfolds in the course of history.

Summary

To summarize, Hegel asks us to see the true not only as an immutable substance, but also as something that is connected to the human subject. Our consciousness and our experiences are crucial to what we recognize as true. This insight is a central component of Hegel's comprehensive philosophical system.

By understanding this quote, we can gain a little insight into Hegel's complex thoughts and better understand his emphasis on the importance of human consciousness in philosophy.