Saturday, December 24, 2022

This Ideal Activity

 Noticed in the Zusatz to section 396 in Hegel's Philosophy of Mind:

At first, however, the [newly born] child is much more dependent and in much more need than the animal. Yet in this, too, the child already manifests its higher nature. It at once makes known its wants in unruly, stormy, and peremptory fashion. Whereas the animal is silent or expresses its pain only by groaning, the child makes known its wants by screaming. By this ideal activity, the child shows that it is straightaway imbued with the certainty that it has a right to demand from the outer world the satisfaction of its needs, that the independence of the outer world is non-existent where man is concerned.

 

2 comments:

  1. Fascinating insight. Belated Happy Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why, thank you. I trust that you had a good Christmas, and wish you a Happy New Year!

      Delete