From: Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM
Date: Thu Sep 15 2005 - 23:03:58 EDT
Hi Ian: You addressed the following question to me (and I answered it from my other address, but it was lost in cyberspace so here I go again): > Can Hegel really "prove" the necessity of his categories? The "proof" of the "necessity" of the categories can only be judged/ determined based on the explanatory power of the categories in the context of a reproduction in thought of the essential nature of the subject matter. That is, to determine the necessity of the categories one has to look at the theory as a whole rather than only the logic of the derivation of individual categories (although, obviously, that is important as well). The same could be said for the proof of the necessity of categories in Marx's reconstruction in thought of the essential character and dynamical tendencies of the subject matter of capitalism. In any event, what would be considered to be "proof" depends in part on whether one accepts the underlying premises of the philosophical system. Materialists would, for example, not accept any "proofs" or "categories" which are derived on the basis of idealistic-spiritual-religious premises/presumptions. One has to recall that there are religious premises of Hegelian theory and that is reflected in his logical reconstruction of the subject of Mind/Spirit (in which, btw, a philosophy of nature is a component part). Addressing the necessity of logical categories in terms of comprehending a real object requires some sort of "realism test" (or to use a popular expression, "reality check"). If this is not done then one runs the risk of developing an entirely logical and internally consistent theory which describes the functioning of a merely hypothetical rather than a real object/subject. In solidarity, Jerry
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