OF THE UNITY OF THOUGHT. 647 



The two conceptions which govern this method may 29. 

 be defined as follows : — ceptions 



in Hegel 8 



In the first place, every thought can be expressed in ™«t'»°'*- 

 a definite sentence, or thesis. The further analysis, 

 explanation, or illustration of this thesis leads to an 

 assertion of something else, to a distinguishing of the 

 content of the thesis from something else outside of it. 

 It is a process of distinguishing or differentiation. This 

 may be termed the antithesis. And a third step may be 

 taken, and in many cases is inevitably taken, a position 

 is gained from which both the thesis and the antithesis, 

 both the affirmation in the former and the negation in 

 the latter, are brought together in a synthesis. 



This represents a very common way of explaining 

 any subject, be this a definite thing in the outer world 

 or some abstract notion in the thinking mind. You 

 first try in some way or other to bring yourself, your 

 readers or hearers, face to face with the subject you are 

 dealing with. You then direct attention to the differ- 

 ence of your subject from other things, and then you 

 try to show how this single subject is comprised with 

 other things, which it is not, in some larger complex. 

 This process can be repeated : taking the complex sub- 

 ject which you have arrived at, and which exhibits 

 many differences, you can again differentiate it from 

 other complexes, with which it forms still larger com- 

 plexes ; and this process can be repeated till you have 

 arrived at an exhaustive view of the whole, the totality 

 of things, the universe, the world, or by whatever term 

 you wish to define it. 



