Abstract

In this paper, I will interpret a short passage from Hegel’s Doctrine of Essence on the relation between causality and life. In this passage, Hegel rejects using causal language to analyze phenomena of the living. This rejection is puzzling though, if one takes Hegel’s account of causality into account. By discussing the passage, I hope to shed some light on Hegel’s understanding of life and its relation to causality. After presenting my reading of the causality chapter (2.), the passage itself will be interpreted (3.). Afterwards, I pose some interpretative problems concerning the passage and discuss it critically (4.). Finally, I will use passages from the Encyclopedia and the Logic of the Concept to further clarify Hegel’s main claim in the passage by contrasting it to his concept of life (5.). I close with a summary of the results and some open questions.