Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship Hegel holds to Wolff’s two psychologies. Hegel’s comments on empirical psychology and rational psychology in general and on Christian Wolff’s contributions in particular are rare and dispersed throughout his work, but his thoughts on the objective, substantial, and methodological problems associated with those philosophical sciences can mainly be found in his Science of Logic and in his Philosophy of Subjective Spirit. In the wake of Kant’s critical analysis, classical questions about simplicity, substantiality, immateriality, and immortality, which formerly belonged to psychology, were abolished, together with traditional metaphysics. Hegel focused his attention once again on those subjects. In his eyes, such questions could only arise as problems if the meaning of the underlying concept of the soul presupposed it to be a “thing.” In order to keep his distance from such problems, he introduced into the science of the soul a new comprehension he called the “speculative manner” or “the concept.”
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Notes
- 1.
With regard to the division of the Philosophy of Subjective Spirit into three parts, cf. Hespe (1991, pp. 490–521).
- 2.
See, for example, Aristotle (1995, 415b17–416a, p. 81): The soul is in a threefold manner cause and principle of the body and of life.
- 3.
A new discussion about the relationship between Hegel and Aristotle concerning psychology can be found in Corti et al. (2020).
- 4.
Cf. Wolff (1992, p. 36).
- 5.
Cf. Wolff (1992, p. 45).
- 6.
My own translation.
- 7.
Cf. Wolff (1992, p. 74).
- 8.
Cf. Euler (2002, 453–480).
- 9.
Cf. Wolff (1992, pp. 160ff.).
- 10.
Cf. Euler (2001).
- 11.
In this context, see my article in print (Euler, 2021).
- 12.
Translations from German or Latin texts into English are my own. In fact, it can be shown that the unity of empirical psychology and rational psychology in Wolff’s German Metaphysics is constructed as a circle. According to my reading, the rational part dominates the empirical part. Recently, I read a paper at the Christian-Wolff-Museum (University of Halle) on the subject Christian Wolff: “Was kann ich wissen?” (Euler, 2019). In that study, I showed that the truth of the so-called proposition of consciousness is seemingly true not because of immediate, indubitable, sensual certainty, but because it is demonstrated by the construction of a syllogism already involved silently in that principle of consciousness. This fact can be developed by the application of instruments presented in Wolff’s own theory of logic.
- 13.
Cf. the qualities of a simple thing in Wolff (1751/1983, §§.106–107).
- 14.
This assertion could be easily illustrated with examples used by Leibniz, such as the pool full of fishes or the drop of water consisting of microorganisms. Cf. also Hegel’s ironic reaction to the smell of coffee moving from a coffee pot (Hegel, 1985, L II, p. 10).
- 15.
- 16.
In this regard, see my article in print (Euler, 2021).
- 17.
Cf. Hegel (1830/1992, §.47 addendum, pp. 125f.).
- 18.
With regard to Hegel’s critique of Kant’s critique of the metaphysics of the soul, cf. Wolff (1992, pp. 116–118, 121–124, 126, 152).
- 19.
- 20.
- 21.
In the addendum to §.389 of the Philosophy of Subjective Spirit (Hegel, 1830/1992, p. 47), Hegel refers to the speculative way of considering the categories of understanding in his Logic and in the Philosophy of the Spirit. Accordingly, abstract qualities like thing, substance, and simplicity are applied to the soul. However, as they “change into their opposite,” they prove the untruth of such determinations.
- 22.
Cf. Hegel (1986a, Vol. 20, p. 256).
- 23.
We can find Hegel’s critique of empirical psychology and rational psychology in the following places (and elsewhere): Hegel (1830/1992, §§.26–36, especially §§.28 and 34, §.378, §.389; 1986a, Vol. 20, pp. 260–263). His description of the content and function of empirical psychology and rational psychology can be read in Hegel (1830/1992, §.34 addendum).
- 24.
In this regard, cf. the ambivalent interpretation of §.389 of Hegel’s Encyclopedia in Wolff (1992, pp. 115, 124).
- 25.
Cf. also Wolff (1992, p. 130).
- 26.
For the arguments in support of that position, I am referring once again to Wolff (1992, pp. 130f.).
- 27.
Cf. Wolff (1992, p. 128).
- 28.
With regard to the difficulties in relation to this interpretation, see the excellent study by Wolff (1992, pp. 43–45, 148–155).
- 29.
On this topic, see the following section; cf. also Wolff (1992, pp. 151–155).
- 30.
Cf. Wolff (1992, pp. 152f.).
- 31.
- 32.
Cf. Euler (2004, pp. 44–49).
- 33.
Cf. Wolff (1992, p. 131).
- 34.
I would like to thank William Altman for his pleasant corrections and kind recommendations.
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Euler, W.L. (2021). Hegel and Wolff’s Psychologies. In: Araujo, S.d.F., Pereira, T.C.R., Sturm, T. (eds) The Force of an Idea. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, vol 50. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74435-9_16
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