316: 6 - part 2

Summary

The speaker delves into philosophical concepts, particularly focusing on the ideas of form, content, and actuality in relation to philosophy. Drawing on Hegel's philosophy, the discussion highlights the interdependence of concept and actualization, emphasizing that philosophy is about grasping the essence of reality, not abstract theorizing. The speaker stresses that philosophy seeks the 'substantial essence' of things through historical understanding and that laws, states, and institutions must be analyzed both in their concepts and real-world manifestations. The aim is to uncover the objective purpose behind these phenomena.

Takeaways

• 🧐 Philosophy seeks to reconcile with actuality and understand the world as it is, not just in abstract terms.
• 🤔 True philosophers are driven by an inner voice to comprehend the substantial essence of reality.
• 📚 The union of form (conceptual knowing) and content (substantial essence of actuality) is essential to philosophy.
• 💡 Philosophy focuses on understanding the 'idea' of things, which involves both the concept and its actualization.
• 🔍 To understand concepts, philosophers must start with real, concrete things, not empty abstractions.
• 🗝️ The objective concept of something, like law or the state, is not merely what people think but its underlying purpose and essence.
• 📜 Historical process plays a crucial role in understanding concepts like the state or legal systems, as their development reveals their purpose.
• 🛑 Not every aspect of law or institutions is rational—philosophy distinguishes between substantial and contingent elements.
• ⚖️ The purpose of concepts like law is tied to freedom, which is the core of many legal and societal structures.
• 👁️ Philosophy aims to grasp the objective, rational purpose behind things, even when that purpose is not immediately clear.

Q & A

What is philosophy concerned with according to the transcript?

Philosophy is concerned with the unity of form and content, where form represents conceptual knowing and content represents reason as the substantial essence of actuality.

How does the transcript define the relationship between form and content in philosophy?

Form is associated with conceptual knowing, while content is reason as the substantial essence of actuality. They are interconnected, and philosophy aims to understand both in a unified manner.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of actualization in understanding a concept?

Actualization is necessary to grasp the full meaning of a concept. Without actualization, focusing solely on the concept leads to 'empty abstraction,' disconnected from reality.

What role does history play in understanding philosophical concepts according to the speaker?

History is essential for understanding philosophical concepts because the shapes that a concept assumes over time are indispensable for knowing the concept itself. It involves looking at the historical unfolding of ideas like the state or legal systems.

How does the speaker compare the relationship between form and content to body and soul?

The speaker likens the unity of form and content to the relationship between body and soul, where both are distinct yet interdependent, forming a complete whole. Just as a soul without a body or a body without a soul would not be alive, form and content must be united.

What is meant by 'the idea of right' in the transcript?

The 'idea of right' refers to the concept of right combined with its actualization. Understanding the idea of right requires grasping both its form (concept) and its content (actualization).

Why does the speaker reject focusing on what 'ought to be' instead of what 'is'?

The speaker argues that philosophy should focus on understanding what actually exists ('what is') rather than imagining or hypothesizing about an ideal future ('what ought to be'). To focus on hypothetical ideals is to enter a realm of fantasy, disconnected from reality.

What is the role of 'objective concept' in philosophy according to the transcript?

The 'objective concept' refers to the underlying rational purpose of something, which can be abstracted through thought from its actualization. It is not based on subjective feelings or popular opinion but on the rational essence of the thing being studied.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between the concept of the state and freedom?

The concept of the state, according to the speaker, is deeply connected to freedom. The purpose of the state, as understood in Hegelian philosophy, is to actualize freedom in a spiritual sense.

What is the significance of understanding historical unfolding in relation to institutions like law and the state?

To truly understand institutions like law or the state, one must examine their historical development. This unfolding reveals the concept and purpose behind these institutions, helping to distinguish between what is essential and what is contingent or temporary.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Philosophy: Reconciling Form and Content

This paragraph delves into the core purpose of philosophy, which is to reconcile oneself with actuality and comprehend it through form and content. The speaker references page 15 of a philosophical text, explaining that form is reason as conceptual knowing, while content is reason as the substantial essence of actuality. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding form and content in relation to reality, particularly in philosophical inquiry. They also address how philosophy seeks to grasp the idea behind concepts like justice, freedom, and good, highlighting that form and content are interdependent.

05:02

🧠 The Actuality of Concepts

The focus here is on the relationship between the concept (form) and its actualization (content). The speaker argues that the concept alone, without actualization, is incomplete and abstract. Philosophy seeks to understand concepts through their actualization in reality, emphasizing that anything outside of this is considered ephemeral or illusory. Historical development is also important for understanding concepts in their full context. This forms part of a Hegelian philosophical approach where understanding the union of form and content is essential.

10:03

⚖️ Philosophy, Law, and Purpose

The paragraph discusses the importance of understanding the purpose behind concrete systems like the law. Using the Canadian criminal code as an example, the speaker explains that to fully grasp a law, one must recognize its underlying purpose, which may not always be clear or understood by those who created it. Philosophy aims to reveal this deeper concept or 'blueprint' behind laws. The speaker cautions against creating theories disconnected from reality and instead encourages starting with real, actual manifestations to develop philosophical understanding.

15:04

🏛️ State and Freedom: Philosophy of Right

The speaker shifts focus to the state and its purpose, which, according to Hegel, is freedom. Philosophy must begin with the actuality of the state to uncover its underlying concept. They emphasize that philosophers should not speculate about hypothetical futures but instead focus on understanding what truly exists. By doing so, philosophy can grasp the objective purpose behind institutions like the state, revealing freedom as a central theme. Philosophy is thus seen as a tool to uncover the substantial essence of actual systems, separating what is essential from what is contingent.

Keywords

💡Philosophy

Philosophy in this context refers to the study of ideas, concepts, and reality, with a focus on understanding both abstract concepts and their actual manifestations. The video emphasizes that philosophy is concerned with reconciling form (the concept) and content (the actualization), aiming to understand the 'substantial essence' of things like law, justice, and freedom.

💡Form and Content

Form refers to the conceptual understanding of something, while content refers to the actualization or manifestation of that concept. The video discusses how philosophy seeks to understand both form and content together, and that true understanding involves grasping how these two elements are interconnected, not in isolation.

💡Substantial Essence

The substantial essence of something is its core, essential reality, beyond just its superficial or accidental features. In the video, this term is used to explain the deeper, necessary aspects of concepts like law or state, which philosophy aims to uncover and distinguish from transient, non-essential elements.

💡Conceptual Knowing

Conceptual knowing is the process of understanding through concepts or abstract thought, as opposed to merely observing external reality. The video highlights this as a key part of philosophical inquiry, where understanding the idea behind things, such as justice or law, is crucial to comprehending their actual existence.

💡Actualization

Actualization refers to the process of making a concept real or manifesting it in reality. In the context of the video, the actualization of concepts like freedom or law is important for understanding their true meaning, as philosophy seeks to examine how abstract ideas are realized in the world.

💡The Idea

The term 'The Idea' is used in a technical philosophical sense to denote the union of form and content, or concept and actualization. It is described as the ultimate goal of philosophy, where understanding 'the idea' involves comprehending both the abstract concept of something and its real-world manifestation.

💡Freedom

Freedom is presented as a central concept, particularly in discussions about law and the state. The video suggests that the purpose of institutions like the judiciary is to promote freedom in a deep, spiritual sense. Philosophically, freedom is both a concept to be understood and something that must be actualized in reality.

💡Objective Concept

The objective concept refers to the idea that there is a true, rational understanding of things, independent of subjective opinions or feelings. The video emphasizes that philosophy seeks to uncover this objective concept by analyzing reality, rather than relying on personal interpretations or societal norms.

💡Historical Process

The historical process is crucial for understanding concepts like law or the state. The video argues that philosophical understanding requires looking at how ideas have developed over time, rather than viewing institutions statically. History helps reveal the purpose and essence of things, such as laws or social structures.

💡Ephemeral Existence

Ephemeral existence refers to aspects of reality that are temporary, superficial, or contingent. In the video, this is contrasted with the substantial essence, which is lasting and essential. Philosophers are encouraged to distinguish between what is merely ephemeral and what holds true, lasting significance in understanding concepts.

Highlights

Philosophy is about reconciling oneself with actuality and understanding the substantial essence of reality.

True philosophers are driven by an inner voice to comprehend and seek understanding.

Form and content are integral in philosophy: form represents reason as conceptual knowing, and content is reason as the substantial essence of actuality.

The unity of form and content, or the idea, is central to philosophical understanding and is described as interdependent.

Philosophy must grasp both the concept (form) and the actualization (content) of ideas like justice and freedom.

Philosophy does not focus on ephemeral, external contingency or illusion, but seeks the substantial essence of actuality.

The understanding of a concept, such as law, requires knowledge of its actualization in history and its purpose, not just its conceptual form.

Objective concepts are derived from the actualization of things, not just subjective feelings or opinions.

Philosophy aims to comprehend reality as it is, not as it should be, by starting with actual things and their historical context.

Philosophy’s purpose is to understand the state and institutions like law and marriage through their historical unfolding.

The philosopher's role is to discern between what is substantial and essential, and what is contingent and fleeting in actual laws and institutions.

Philosophy’s concern with the state and legal systems involves understanding their rational purpose, which in Hegel's view is ultimately tied to freedom.

An institution like marriage cannot be fully understood without recognizing its historical evolution and purpose.

Laws and institutions contain both essential, necessary elements and contingent, arbitrary aspects, which philosophy seeks to distinguish.

Understanding the substantial essence of actualities involves seeing their historical necessity and separating that from mere external contingency.

Transcripts

okay so everyone there all of you that

just came on the zoom will never know

about the rosac croan and we talked

about secret societies esoteric

information yeah okay back to page 15

then so

philosophy is about reconciling yourself

with actuality and it's about

comprehending th there are those of us

who in us have an inner voice bidding us

to under want to comprehend want to

understand we are the true

philosophers okay then on page 15 last

paragraph there it is this too which

constitutes the more concrete meaning

and this is important this part here the

more concrete meaning of what was

described above rather abstractly as the

unity of form and

content for form in its most concrete

signification is reason as conceptual

knowing so not this Association of form

with conceptual knowing and content is

reason as the substantial essence of

actuality now note that term not just

actuality now but the substantial

essence of actuality I'm going to

clarify this to you

uh so he philosophy is concerned with

form and content the form is our concept

of

something the something of which the

concept is a concept is the actuality

that's the content for Content but it's

not simply the actuality as like bare

existence is that it's that in actuality

which is essential

the content is reason as the substantial

essence of actuality this is going to

bear on the question of whether he's

concerned with just justifying status

quo well it depends on what you're

looking at and calling status quo is the

substantial essence of the actual or not

because it could be just accidental

contingency that you're looking

at the conscious identity of these two

form and content is the philosophical

idea note here how IDE is

capitalized because IDE is a technical

term in here philosophy is about

grasping the idea

of the idea of like the b in German this

is well he uses Ed in too but the idea

of something in that's the task of

philosophy like the idea of good for

example or the idea of re the idea of

Justice the idea of freedom but in but

grasping the idea of something in has

two aspects it's the concept of that

thing and it's the actualization of that

thing and these things are

interdependent you can't have one

without the other if you do if you try

to go to for the concept understand the

idea of something by just looking at the

concept without the actualization you're

going to go into Cloud cand empty

abstraction you need the actual the real

the given an actual an actional criminal

codee you need that in order to from it

abstract the

concept now let's jump to the

introduction and then I'm just going to

read a few lines here and then I'm going

to explain some stuff on the board so in

the introduction he zooms right in on

these things and what we're talking

about now it's like Central it's

absolutely Central to the whole method

like this is not something to consider

it's just uh preliminary stuff like this

I'm putting the in this course like we

looking here I'm putting the emphasis on

this stuff because this is like the

general approach and then it's going to

apply this to all sorts of particular

things but this is like this General

hegelian approach the subject matter of

philosophical science of right is the

idea of

right IE the concept of right together

with the actualization of that concept

so what is the subject matter of

philosophy it's the idea that comprises

content and form if we're doing then

philosophy of right it is the idea of

right considered under two aspects form

and

content philosophy has to do with ideas

and therefore not with what are commonly

du M

Concepts on the contrary it exposes such

Concepts M Concepts as one-sided and

without truth while showing at the same

time that it is the concept alone the

begriff alone not the mere abstract

category of the understanding which we

often hear called by that name which has

actuality the concept alone has

actuality and further that it gives this

actuality to itself all else apart from

this actuality establishing the working

of the concept itself is ephemeral

existence external contingency opinion

unsubstantial appearance and truth

illusion and so forth now remember that

term we had in the preface philosophy

looks for the substantial essence of

actuality that which is not

substantial essence of reality falls

into this

category external contingency ephemeral

opinion unsubstantial appearance untruth

illusion so

forth the other stuff is like a fleeting

ephemeral soap

bubble the shapes which the concept

assumes in the course of its

actualization are indispensable for the

knowledge of the concept itself this is

why history is

important understand the state for

example the shapes which the concept

assumes in the course of its

actualization that's the unfolding of

world history are indispensable for the

knowledge of the concept itself they are

the second essential moment of the idea

in distinction from the first I.E from

its form from its mode of being as

concept

alone so philosophy is concerned with

form and content but the union of form

and content that I.E the idea so he

Likens this Union to Body and Soul it's

like if you want to understand the human

being you need to understand body and

you also need to understand soul but you

need to understand these in human

the concept and its existence are two

sides of the same thing distinct and

United like soul and body the body is

the same life as the soul and yet both

may be spoken of as lying outside one

another a soul without a body would not

be a living thing nor would a body

without a soul hence the determinate

existence of the concept is its body

while its body obeys the soul which

brought it into being inter dependence

the buds have the tree implicit it

within

them and contain the tree's whole

strength although they are not yet the

tree itself Tre is the actualization but

what is it that's actualized it's the

seed the tree corresponds in detail to

the simple image of the bud if the body

does not match the soul it is a poor

sort of thing the unity of determinate

existence and the concept of body and

soul is the idea the unity is not a mere

Harmony but rather a complete

interpenetration or

interdependence Nothing is alive which

is not in some way or other idea nothing

is nothing is real which is not in one

way or other idea and so the idea of

right is

freedom it's the

first place where he says that and this

is going to be the central Concepts if

you want to understand the Judiciary

according to heo what you need to

understand is

freedom because that is its purpose why

does he think that we're going to get to

that the idea of right is freedom and if

it is to be truly understood it must be

known both in its concept and in its

determinate existence of that

concept okay pause there now we get to

the part where I want to explain a few

things

so we

have philosophy is concerned with the

idea

IDE and the idea comprises two things we

have

Concepts and we have

actualization equ calls the concept for

Content no sorry

sorry concept is like the

form and the actualization

is like the

content the actualization is the

actualization of the

concept but the concept is understood

through the

actualization what does do this mean

concretely well you want to understand

for

example law a law so you look at the

Canadian criminal code

this code didn't just fall down from

heaven and it's not simply an accidental

collocation of atoms there is a there's

a plan here there's a thought behind it

there's a thought behind why there is a

criminal code this thought involves for

example knowing the Telos knowing the

purpose of

it you don't understand the criminal

code if you don't understand its

purpose now often times the purpose of

something is concealed it's not

necessarily right there at like striking

you

immediately it might be that the people

who even worked to put together the

criminal code throughout the centuries

were themselves not

clear about what the purpose was because

many things we we act purposefully

without always knowing what the purpose

of our purposeful action is so sometimes

it can be hard to understand what the

purpose is but there is a

purpose there is a purpose behind it

there's we could say a

blueprint so you look at the criminal

code this is an actual thing right an

actual

book every year the parliament of AA

publishes this new edition of this book

this is a concrete thing with actual

written down

laws but to understand it you need to

understand the underlying concept of a

criminal code and that's what philosophy

used to do the philosophy wants to

understand the crial code here with all

these laws and

so it wants to make its way to the

concepts like answer questions like what

is its purpose

what makes these laws

valid

what

makes it

valid how can it be valid in so like

under what conditions is it valid blah

blah blah all those

things are understanding the concept but

to understand the concept you have to

start with the real

thing if you were to like say I want

understand law I'm not going to look at

the actual

law I'm going to like disregard what

actually exists there and I'm going to

come with my own idea what are you

you're just

fantasizing he doesn't want to fantasize

that's the empty abstraction type of

philosophy he wants to he wants to

understand what actually exists right

the philosophy is about understand

reality it's not about like spinning a

theory out of your her head like a

spider spins a web out of its belly you

know that's his own metaphor he's like

he thinks that the philosophers that

don't start with the actual they're like

spiders they're spinning these big webs

out of their belly yes so his

interpretation of philosophy is that

it's basically looking at theual

manifestation of things in the world and

then

finding like theological function of

them or like the actual intention of the

thing even if that's not what the people

who things 100% 100 he's going to go on

and say this explicitly in the

introduction it's we when we're looking

for the concept of something say the

purpose we're not looking for what most

people think about

it we're looking for the objective

concept and that's crucial here this

concept for vle and he often uses this

term he's looking for the objective

concept and that is abstracted by

thought from the actualization of

it yeah so he doesn't want to know what

someone's feeling is about it and he

doesn't want to know simply what most

people think it is he has an optimism

here that there is such a thing as an

the objective concept where does that

optimism come from it comes from the

basic conviction that what is actual is

rational if it is rational there has to

be an objective purpose

there uh and so the same thing goes I'll

get to the question in a second the same

thing goes for the state if you want to

understand a state you have to look at

the actual State here here's a

building the actual

States from the ACT this actuality

you abstract then an understanding what

is its purpose you know what he's going

to say it purpose is freedom our freedom

the purpose of the whole re V is freedom

in a spiritual sense what that exactly

means we're we're we're going to get to

that but you have to start with the

actual thing now sfer might say I don't

I don't care what the student sent to

MEC once I don't care about what is I

want to know what ought to

be here we have like Canada 2024 I don't

care about like what I wanted like what

should we be at some point in the future

this is where heel says no one can

overleap their

age you want to understand something

that doesn't even

exist don't you see that you're digging

a hole in a world of fantasy this is

just

Cloud philosophy is an understanding of

what is real

there's a real philosophy has a real

subject matter our subject matter is not

some hypothesized something that someone

according to their subjective feeling

wants to be the case in the future we Le

to understand what actually exists

that's philosophy real serious subject

matter for here okay now um

so you understand this distinction now

to understand the concepts from its

actualization is to have the idea of

that so you want to have the idea of

right you need to get clear about the

concept but you cannot do that without

the actualization so you have to do sort

of two things at

once you have to look at the

actualization and that involves

process is a historical process here so

you cannot understand the concept of the

state for example or of the Judiciary

without looking at its

unfolding its historical

unfolding you can't just look at this

institution

statically as if it's always existed

this way that that won't provide you a

clue for seeing what the purpose is um

so for

example all these parts of the judici

say for example an institution like

marriage he's going to talk a lot about

that he's going to say you can't

understand it without looking at it

historically we look at the state you

can't understand it without looking at

it historically or the legal system you

can't understand it without looking at

it

historic however he

thinks

that when you look at him seriously and

historically you're able to see in what

is there some sort of

core and that is what he describes as

the substant substantial essence of the

action because you're going to see a lot

of things like you look at the criminal

code for example you're going to see

bogus laws look at the Canadian criminal

code you're going to see bogus laws and

you're going to see valid there is a

distinction he's not saying that every

law in the criminal code is rational

what he is saying that there are some

things here which is substantial

essential and there is other stuff which

is like a contingent soap

bubble the philosopher is to make the

distinction is to see the distinction

and that involves seeing what here is

necessary what has to be there are some

things in the criminal code the actual

thing that have to be that's what's real

the other stuff that is contingent

that's actually not

real Auto can make a law which according

to herle is a nothing doesn't exist you

know where it exists only in people's

minds because if it doesn't have this

necessity in it it doesn't have the

real uh it's not part of the essential

substantive essence of that concept

itself yeah anyway you get the picture

is this sort of getting bit clearer now

yeah okay good let this sink in we're

out of time you ask me some questions no

see you lat uh