Abstract

In this article, I examine Hegel's concept of translating nature into conceptual form through an analysis of the introductions to his lectures on the philosophy of nature. I argue that Hegel develops an epistemic transformation theory according to which our understanding of nature is fundamentally the result of transformative cognitive processes. Rather than simply mirroring nature as it exists in itself, these processes first dissect nature through empirical cognition into various concepts that enable knowledge of specific natural phenomena. Building upon this, philosophical cognition then identifies these concepts as essential determinations of a general concept of nature. Through a close reading of the lecture introductions, I demonstrate that empirical cognition transforms nature from an inhomogeneous space-time continuum into a conceptual multiplicity of genera and laws. However, this conceptual multiplicity poses a problem: it cannot explain how the unity of nature consists in an internally coherent whole. I show that this unity can only be grasped through genuinely philosophical cognition that takes up the various concepts derived from empirical analysis and transforms them into aspects of a unified whole. Central to my interpretation is Hegel's notion of self-determining universality, which I argue provides the conceptual framework for understanding how philosophical cognition can realize this unifying transformation.