Ownership is transfer - infinite judgement or syllogism -

Abstract

Hegel, in his work Philosophy of Right, defines ownership through three elements: acquisition by occupation, use, and transfer. To own something involves mere acquisition and encompasses its appropriate use and potential transfer to others.

Subsequently, the final aspect mentioned was the concept of infinite judgement. The acts of owning and transferring to others are diametrically opposed, and Hegel’s unique logic forcibly connects these opposing concepts.

This form of infinite judgement was advocated by the young Hegel during the era of Phenomenology of Spirit. There, he stated, “Spirit is a bone”. However, when he later wrote Science of Logic or Encyclopedia, the formulation of infinite judgement changed to “Spirit is not something that is bone”. This shift was influenced by Kant. In Logic, the discourse advances into syllogism, inferential theory, leading to “Spirit is a bone for such-and-such reasons”. In essence, Hegel binarily connected spirit and bone in his youth and introduced a mediating term in this connection later in his life, establishing inferential links. However, the notion of forcibly connecting opposing concepts remains.

Therefore, the statement “Ownership is transfer” represents an infinite judgement while simultaneously signifying syllogism that “I truly own this object if I can transfer it to others”. This contributes to the reasoning that “I and objects can be connected through the intermediary of others”, progressing to the inference that “I and others can be connected through objects”, thereby laying the foundation for society.