Logic and Existence

Ifthephrase"thephilosophyofdifference"definesFrenchanti-Hegelianism,thenwehavetosaythattherewouldbenophilosophyofdifferencewithoutLogicandExistence.Derrida'snotionofdifferance,Deleuze'slogicofsense,andFoucault'sreconceptionofhistoryallstemfromthisbook.ThisfirstEnglishtranslationofthevirtuallyunknownLogicandExistenceisessentialfortheunderstandingofthedevelopmentofFrenchthoughtinthiscentury.LogicandExistence,whichoriginallyappearedin1952,completestheprojectHyppolitebeganwithGenesisandStructureofHegel'sPhenomenologyofSpirit.Takingupsuccessivelytheroleoflanguage,reflection,andcategoriesinHegel'sScienceofLogic,HyppoliteilluminatesHegelianism'smostobscuredialecticalsynthesis:therelationbetweenthephenomenologyandthelogic.HisinterpretationoftherelationbetweenthephenomenologyandthelogichastheresultofmarkingaruptureinFrenchthought.NotonlydoesLogicandExistenceeffectivelyendthehumanisticreadingofHegelpopularizedbyKojeveinFrancebeforeWorldWarII,butalsoitinitiatesthegreatanti-HegelianismofFrenchphilosophyinthesixties.Hyppolite'sworkdisplaystheoriginalityofHegel'sthoughtinanewway,andsetsupthemeansbywhichtoescapefromit.