<Articles>Hegel on Vital Forces in “Observing Reason” of Phenomenology of Spirit

In “Observing Reason” of Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel criticizes his contemporary philosophy of nature: ecology, teleology, vital forces, morphology, and history of nature. This paper focuses on animal organism's vital forces (sensibility, irritability, and reproduction), and analyzes Hegel's criticism of the law of vital forces. This law was constructed by Kielmeyer, in his 1793 speech, On the Relations between Organic Forces in the Series of Different Organisations, and on the Laws and Consequences of these Relations, and Schelling, who was influenced by Kielmeyer. In “Observing Reason, ” Hegel reconstructs Kielmeyer and Schelling's law and criticizes their law because it lacks “the logical nature.” From this criticism, it can be inferred that Hegel's theory of vital forces is based on the logical nature. However, Hegel does not clearly define what the logical nature is. Therefore, the question this paper addresses is formulated as follows: what is the theory of vital forces based on the logical nature? This question is answered through an analysis of Hegel's criticism of their law. By answering this question, we can understand Hegel's theory of vital forces in “Observing Reason.” Through answering this question, this paper also reveals why, from Hegel's perspective, Kielmeyer and Schelling's law is wrong. According to Hegel, their law falls into the anatomical way, into the form of “being” and “endurance” to comprehend living beings as cadavers. This point is well known to Hegel scholars, but the reasoning behind it has not been studied hitherto. This paper reveals this reasoning. Moreover, this paper elucidates the significance of teleology for Hegel's theory of vital forces. Unlike Kant, Hegel thinks telos does exist in animal organisms. However, the reason telos must exist for the structure of vital forces has not been explained. This paper interprets telos as the ground of the structure of vital forces.