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Full Idea
Before abstraction everything is one - but one as chaos is - after abstraction everything is again unified - but in a free alliance of independent, self-determined beings. A crowd has become a society - a chaos is transformed into a manifold world.
Gist of Idea
Everything is a chaotic unity, then we abstract, then we reunify the world into a free alliance
Source
Novalis (Miscellaneous Observations [1798], 094)
Book Ref
Novalis: 'Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Stoljar,M.M. [SUNY 1997], p.40
A Reaction
Personally I take (unfashionably) psychological abstraction to one of the key foundations of human thought, so I love this idea, which gives a huge picture of how the abstracting mind relates to reality.
Related Idea
Idea 6118 Philosophy is logical analysis, followed by synthesis [Russell]
| 19571 | Delusion and truth differ in their life functions [Novalis] |
| 19572 | Experiences tests reason, and reason tests experience [Novalis] |
| 19573 | The seat of the soul is where our inner and outer worlds interpenetrate [Novalis] |
| 19574 | If man sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself, by acting against his own convictions [Novalis] |
| 19575 | Refinement of senses increasingly distinguishes individuals [Novalis] |
| 19576 | Religion needs an intermediary, because none of us can connect directly to a godhead [Novalis] |
| 19577 | Everything is a chaotic unity, then we abstract, then we reunify the world into a free alliance [Novalis] |
| 19578 | Only self-illuminated perfect individuals are beautiful [Novalis] |