0. Self-Introduction

Shuhei Kimoto (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan)

• My interests: Hegel’s logic, Cassirer's philosophy of science, theories of concept formation, and Charles Taylor's transcendental philosophy, and more.
• I am writing a doctoral thesis on Hegel's concept of logical life.
• I am preparing "Tokyo Workshop 2024 Reconsideration to Wittgenstein's Cultural Background and Context" with Saori Makino. More details will be provided by Saori later.

1. Introduction

1.1 Topics

• In this presentation, I will explore the themes in Hegel’s logic that share common ground with Wittgenstein's ideas.
  • That is, those of elucidation and therapy.
• By using both concepts as a framework, I will try to illuminate the philosophical methodology implicitly underpinning Hegel’s logic.
• Through my discussion of these concepts, I hope to show that the methodology of Hegel’s logic should not be characterized as a bottom-up construction, or such kinds of foundationalism.
  • Rather, Hegel's logic aims to manifest the underlying logical presupposition that make thought itself possible, giving it the characteristics of elucidation.

1.2 Some Remarks on these topics

• Of course, this does not mean that Hegel is explicitly discussing these concepts, nor does it suggest a direct influence of Hegel's ideas on Wittgenstein.
  • These historical influence relationships are matters of fact while I will not address them.
• It is remarkable how Wittgenstein's ideas are useful when discussing Hegel philosophy.
  • I will not explore the reason why such a remarkable fact is the case here.

1.3 Additional Remarks on Therapy

• In general, when interpreting Hegel from a therapeutic perspective, The Phenomenology of Spirit often takes center stage.
  • So, there may be concerns about the association between Hegel’s logic and "therapy."
  • This is because it may seem that his logic lacks a subject of reflection and dynamics of self-awareness.
  • Thus, in the first section, I intend to discuss the connection between Hegel’s logic and the structure of therapy.

1.4 Reconstruction of Hegel’s Strategy

• It is difficult to provide a definitive answer as to whether Hegel’s logic consistently follows the same dialectical pattern.
  • However, I believe that it generally unfolds using a similar pattern of argumentation.
• For my examination here, I focus on the chapter “Judgment”.
• I have chosen this chapter because it suggests that Hegel does not follow the traditional logical structure of concept, judgment, and inference in a bottom-up fashion.
  • Specifically, Hegel exposes the confusion inherent in the linguistic and formal understanding that judgment involves two concepts connected by a copula, hinting at the presence of a presupposition called the "genus concept."
  • I interpret this discussion as a form of therapy for the atomistic and reductionist view of judgment (which was widely shared among many logicians of his time) and an elucidation of richer conceptual presuppositions.

2. Therapeutic Reading in Hegel’s Logic