PROPOSITION XX.
THE ABSOLUTE IN COGNITION.
DEMONSTRATION.
The demonstration commences with the definition of the known absolute, which is almost coincident with that of known substance. "Whatever can be known (or conceived) out of relation, that is to say, without any correlative being necessarily known (or conceived) along with it, is the known Absolute." But some such thing must be known, otherwise all knowledge would be impossible. Because, if everything had a correlative thing which required to be known before it could be known; and again, if the thing and its correlative had another correlative thing which required to be known before knowledge could arise, and so on perpetually,—it is obvious that no cognition could ever take place; but cogni-
