The Idea of the True

The idea of the true is the theoretical idea — the cognition that seeks to grasp the objective. It is no longer mere subjectivity (as the concept is), but the unity of concept and objectivity in cognition. To know the true means: to grasp the object as it is in itself. The idea of the true has two forms: (1) the analytic method — proceeds from the concrete and abstracts (empirical science), (2) the synthetic method — proceeds from the abstract and constructs (mathematics). Both are one-sided. Completed cognition (the absolute idea) unites both. The problem of the theoretical idea: it remains passive, merely takes the world as given. Hence the transition to the practical idea (the idea of the good), which seeks to change the world.