Section 146
Original German
146 β) Die Substanz ist in diesem ihrem wirklichen Selbstbewußtseyn sich wissend und damit Object des Wissens. Für das Subject haben die sittliche Substanz, ihre Gesetze und Gewalten einerseits als Gegenstand das Verhältniß, daß sie sind, im höchsten Sinne der Selbstständigkeit, — eine absolute, unendlich festere Autorität und Macht, als das Seyn der Natur.
Die Sonne, Mond, Berge, Flüsse, überhaupt die umgebenden Naturobjecte sind, sie haben für das Bewußtseyn die Autorität nicht nur überhaupt zu seyn, sondern auch eine besondere Natur zu haben, welche es gelten läßt, nach ihr in seinem Verhalten zu ihnen, seiner Beschäftigung mit ihnen und ihrem Gebrauche sich richtet. Die Autorität der sittlichen Gesetze ist unendlich höher, weil die Naturdinge nur auf die ganz äußerliche und vereinzelte Weise die Vernünftigkeit darstellen, und sie unter die Gestalt der Zufälligkeit verbergen.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from Hegel's German in the Berlin Nicolai first edition, dated 1821. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360, including the author's remarks and notes; no later Gans additions.
146 β) In this its actual self-consciousness the substance is self-knowing and thereby an object of knowing. For the subject, the ethical substance, its laws and powers, have on the one hand, as an object, the relation that they are, in the highest sense of independence—an absolute authority and power infinitely firmer than the being of nature.
The sun, the moon, mountains, rivers, the natural objects around us in general, are; for consciousness they have the authority not merely of being in general, but also of having a particular nature, which it lets stand and by which it is guided in its conduct toward them, in its dealings with them and its use of them. The authority of the ethical laws is infinitely higher, because natural things exhibit rationality only in a wholly external and isolated way, and hide it under the form of contingency.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation made directly from the German first-edition source, not from the Musean edition or an existing English translation. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360 with the author's remarks and notes.
146 β) In this its actual self-consciousness, substance knows itself, and so it is an object of knowing. On one side, ethical substance, its laws and its powers stand before the subject as an object in this relation: they are, in the highest sense of independence. They are an absolute authority and power, infinitely firmer than the being of nature.
The sun, the moon, mountains, rivers, and in general the natural objects around us are. For consciousness they have the authority not only of being at all, but also of having a particular nature. Consciousness lets this nature count and follows it in how it behaves toward these objects, in how it deals with them and in how it uses them. The authority of the ethical laws is infinitely higher. Natural things show rationality only in a quite external and scattered way, and they hide it under the shape of contingency.
About this section
Section 146 is part of Elements of the Philosophy of Right by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 148 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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