AKD ITS SELF-COKSERVATION. 235 



belongs to the very nature of thought this self -division 

 which makes its appearance in the nature of spiritual 

 existence as such is seen to be a primal characteristic. 

 It inheres in the very form of self-affirmation, which again 

 is a fundamental, distinguishing characteristic of spirit. 



Thus, in affirming or realizing itself, the World- 

 Energy as spirit must perpetually bring about its own 

 self-separation or self-differentiation. Otherwise it must 

 be, and remain a pure, abstract identity, which in truth 

 is nothing else than pure nonentity. To be real and 

 actual, the World-Energy must constantly unfold nega- 

 tion within itself in the sense of developing infinitely 

 manifold differences or specific qualities which again are 

 the positive characteristics through which its nature is 

 affirmed as concrete self-activity. 



As actuality, then, and above all as the primal actu- 

 ality and truth of the world, spirit must, from its very 

 nature, unfold itself as just this process of absolute self- 

 negation or self -differentiation. Its process of self-deter- 

 mination or systematic self-realization is just the pro- 

 cess of its own self-negation. "All determination is 

 negation," as Spinoza has it. 



But thus negation again proves to be equally affirma- 

 tion. It is the process by which the World-Energy as the 

 one absolute spirit unfolds itself into infinitely manifold 

 reality. As a concrete individual its reality is exhibited 

 through its own self-particularization. The One parts 

 itself into Many. 



But also, as just indicated, the One realizes itself in 

 the many. Hence the many have their reality only in 

 the one. They are its modes, the phases of its realiza- 

 tion. And, more precisely, the One as the inherent, 



