Hegel's Theory Of Knowledge, New Exploration

Defending the possibility of universal knowledge has been the main subject of Western philosophy. However, strictly speaking, this attempt has not been completely successful. Skepticism and relativism are a threat to the ideal of this kind philosophy. The study of defending Knowledge reached an unprecedented height level in Hegel's philosophy after the philosophical development from Plato to Kant. Therefore, the main subject of this paper is to explore Hegel's new contributions on the theory of knowledge in the history of philosophy of the West.This article would evaluate Hegel's theory of knowledge in the following aspects, and stressed the Hegel's unique contribution on the theory of knowledge in the history of philosophy. Firstly, what is his theoretical contribution on his solution to the contradiction between "requirements of the universal knowledge" and "the infinite regression of justifying the authenticity of the first principle of philosophy ". Secondly, what is his breakthrough to thinking of how to coordinate "inherent conflict between the demands of thought's expansibility" and "requirements of thought's certainties". Thirdly, how Hegel reconstruct a science of the nature of knowledge on the basis of his predecessors.According to the specific analysis of the text of Hegel's philosophy, this paper argues that Hegel is indeed open to defense the philosophical traditions of ancient Greece that pursuit the universal and inevitable knowledge. However, different from the usual criticism to Hegel, this paper argues that Hegel's defense of the possibility of universal and inevitable knowledge is not stifled all the space of human development, but rather lay a theoretical foundation for the free development of human. The arguments that support this view will be carried out in the following areas.First of all, for the infinite regression of justifying the authenticity of the first principle, Hegel abandoned thinking initiated by Descartes that defense the universal and inevitable knowledge depend on the unshakable and determinate starting point of philosophy. However, he believes that system without foundation can still be to defend the universal inevitability of knowledge. He put forward the thinking that the philosophy can lay foundation for its logical starting point by a full description of its whole philosophy. In other words, a philosophical construction in its own process can prove itself. Although the starting point of philosophy is not identified, the philosophy proves itself in the construction process of its own, which laid the foundation stone for themselves. In this sense, Hegel rejected the Descartes' foundationalism, and at the same time Hegel completed the innovation of philosophical reasoning, which known as the dialectics of Hegel. Through this new strategy of argumentation, Hegel lifted the dangers of Skepticism and relativism that lead by giving up the basis of philosophy, while he achieves the objectivity through a path that not set a base. Secondly, as recognition of the boundaries between truth and falsehood is absolutely fixed, according to this view it seems that a theory in any condition, are not real but must be false. This has led to produced two very different attitudes to the nature of knowledge. If a theory is true, then it should not be changed in any case, so it is not amended. This will inevitably lead to absolutism; The other hand, if the truth can be changed, then this theory is not real, because things that is real will not be turned into something false. Since we have not yet discovered the theory of eternal, there is no real thing. Thus inevitably lead to relativism. In order to get out of this logic dilemma, Hegel provides that "the truth can be understand to be that the truth continue to construct itself in the process of its own." A theory is true, if and only if it was later developed by the new theory. So the new theory is the theory of "the old to unfold itself and the old theory is implicated in the new theory, so that the contradictions between eternality and historic of truth could be solved properly in this way. Therefore Hegel farewell the absolutism and relativism of knowledge by reforming the concept of truth, and provide the possibility of the universal and inevitable knowledge.Third, Hegel provided another study on knowledge based on Kant's definition of knowledge, which goes further even more than Kant's critical philosophy. Kant's philosophy unfolds the static and logical analysis of the pure category which builds knowledge by subject. And Hegel believes that the pure category which constructs knowledge itself is constructed, and the thing construct the construction itself is logic. Hegel's would look into this subject. In addition to concern to explore the logical conditions of constructing knowledge, Hegel in particular concern the possibility of the self-repair, self-improvement on the logical concept of building knowledge. In this sense, Hegel adds a historical factor on the research of logical concept that constructs knowledge on the basis of Kant's transcendentalism. Through the innovation of the research on knowledge, Hegel has laid a theoretical foundation for the possibility of free development of human knowledge, and has avoided the absolutism and relativism successfully, that ensure possibility of the inevitability knowledge.Through the above discussion, this article attempts to clarify many misunderstandings of the Hegel's views on this issue. One view is that Hegel holds that knowledge is absolute, and claims that he achieve the knowledge of universal necessity in his philosophy. Another point of view is that Hegel is a relativist, the truth will never be seized and any point of view is relative. This paper believes that Hegel successfully avoid this dilemma of the knowledge issue—either reduced to absolutism, or choose to be relativism. Hegel's defense for the possibility of universal inevitability of knowledge has successfully provided a theoretical basis for the free development of knowledgeand to avoid falling into the risk of relativism and skepticism.