Abstract

Dealing with the existence of organic beings from the perspective of the universal genus, the genus-process in Encyclopaedia can be considered a teleological explication given by Hegel. It can be further rightly qualified as an internal teleology since it understands the existence of this universal as an internal process of self-constitution. Nonetheless, it should be distinguished from Kantian internal teleology, which argues that the internal purposiveness should not be regarded as a constitutive principle of the organic being itself, but only a regulative principle of our reflective judgment. On the contrary, in Hegel’s understanding, the internal purposiveness of an organism, that is, the process of its self-organization is objective in itself. Supposing that Hegel’s consideration of this process of self-consideration on the biologically concrete level of species contributes to objectify the internal teleology, this paper attempts to make sense of the objectivity of his concept of genus-process. Meanwhile, it will be hopefully argued that both the sex-relation and sexual difference play important roles in this teleological reading of organism, and further, that the ontological interpretation of these themes leads this Hegelian teleology to the theme of death, and finally to the passage to the sphere of Spirit.