14 MATHESIS. 



a number and only exists by virtue of a number. Every 

 Singular is nothing for itself, but the Eternal is in it, or 

 rather it is itself only the Eternal, though not the Eternal 

 in itself, but affirmed or negatived. The existence of the 

 Singular is not its own existence, but only that of the 

 Eternal subjected to an arbitrary repetition ; for the act 

 of being and affirming are of one kind. 



58. The continuance of Being is a continuous positing 

 of the Eternal, or of nothing, a ceaseless process of be- 

 coming real in that which is not. There exists nothing 

 but nothing, nothing but the Eternal, and all individual 

 existence is only a fallacious existence. All individual 

 things are monades, nothings, which have, however, be- 

 come determined. 



The Eternal must posit without cessation, for otherwise 

 it would be an actual nothing, while in fact it is an 

 act ; but it must incessantly suppress also this position, 

 else it would be only a finite act, or an act which had 

 only one kind of direction, that of affirmation + + + +, 

 and so on, which represents only the half of arithmetic. 

 The totality of the Einite is, therefore, of eternal duration 

 also : the Singular, however, issues forth and disappears 

 like the numbers in arithmetic. The eternal duration 

 of the Finite consists, however, only in ceaseless repetition. 

 Such an Eternal is to be distinguished therefore from the 

 Primary eternal, and is called the Infinite. The to- 

 tality of finite things is not therefore eternal, but only 

 infinite. 



PRIMARY CONSCIOUSNESS. 



59. Two tendencies are present in the primary act, 

 both of which being inseparable are one in kind. It 

 has the tendency to posit, and also to suppress, itself. 

 The unity strives unto binary division or to antagonism, 

 even as the strives to produce + or While the 

 primary act posits itself, it does this indeed out of its 

 own strength, and that which it posits is also none 

 other than itself; it posits itself i. e. actively ; and is itself 

 posited i. e. passively; it itself posits itself, is the self- 



