<DIV>Actually his point is not that hard to understand. The main thought is this: (1) Immediate perception of observables without invoking properties (that is, qualities things share, like red, round, or Jewish) fails to provide real knowledge because all one is left with is soundless pointing (This one!). That is the chapter on sense certainty. (2) But perception of things as random collections of properties without some thing in which these inhere, something which has these properties is likewise not knowledge, because there is no way to project which properties go with what if all there is is a mosaic in which eaxh might be associated with any other. This is the chapter on perception. (3) In the chapter on -- I forget the title, laws of nature I think, H goes on to argue that mere constant conjunction isn't real knowledge of laws, because "it always happens that way" isn;t an explanation. It's difficult writing and sometimes has a code-like feel. But it repays the effort to crack the code. jks Jon Johanning <jjohanning@igc.org> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">Bill Bartlett wrote: > Which, to be charitable, appears to be some form of code. Or perhaps > the rantings of someone who has lost his wits. Are you making some > kind of joke, what possible purpose could be served by reading > several chapters of this kind of gibberish? Well, Hegel is recognized by anyone who has tried to study him to be a tough nut to crack. But if one chooses to take up this hobby, there are commentaries and secondary sources on the guy that help. (Marxists, of course, are not in a position to sneer at Hegel's style, since Karl was a devoted student of the great man, and his style is just as bad when he waxes philosophical.) Jon Johanning // jjohanning@igc.org _____________________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk</BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><hr SIZE=1> Do you Yahoo!? <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/search/mailsig/*http://search.yahoo.com">The New Yahoo! Search</a> - Faster. Easier. Bingo.