The Principle of Life in Hegel’s Philosophy

Abstract

Life has a central position in Hegel’s philosophy, and its development has gone through the stages from primitive unity to finite life. In this process it appears in two forms: the first is the form of conceptual definitions about life, which mainly involves Hegel’s preexisting thoughts, and these definitions are born out of his thinking about how to overcome the subject-object split; the second is the form of the principle of life, which mainly appears in the process of constructing Hegel’s philosophical system, and the dialectical kernel of which is reflected in his combining of life with negativity. The study of the principle of life in Hegel’s philosophy enables a complete understanding of Hegel’s thought. This study deals with three aspects to reveal the principle of life in Hegel’s philosophy in terms of vitalization of the self, changes in pre and post thought. The vitalization of the self in Hegel’s philosophy is discussed, and the principle of life in Hegel’s philosophy is elaborated in two stages: the first and the second.