Abstract

“Questioning explanation.” With this method, Doz proposes a “personal” reading of Hegel’s logic. Thus, one should not expect to discover in Doz’ book a close commentary of the Jena Logic or the Encyclopedia Logic, but an explanation dedicated to showing how Hegel’s project is an attempt to complete the history of metaphysics. Hegel’s metaphysics takes the form of a “speculative philosophy” or a “science of logic,” the task of which is to expose the necessary forms of thought. As the science of pure thought or pure science, it is rooted in Aristotelian ontology: Aristotle’s enterprise, later identified as metaphysics, consists in grounding philosophy as a double science: the science of being as being and the science of the unmoved and supersensible essence-substances. Such a double science marks the birth of what Heidegger—to whom Doz acknowledges a “debt”—calls onto-theology. It is Doz’ main claim that the Hegelian logic is the completion of metaphysics as onto-theology. While taking into consideration the specificity of Hegel’s project—viz., to elevate metaphysics to the status of pure thinking, in other words to elevate being to the concept—Doz’ reading is after the “unthought” that governs such a project, an unthought which is precisely to be looked for in Hegel’s metaphysical heritage. Hence the second part of the title, which operates like a guiding thread into the unthought: “The Traditional Problems of Ontology”