| This question <1|1> overall <1|3> Hans: <1448|3>. |
| Question 35: Can you think of an example in which the quantity of something affects its quality, for instance some physical matter two litres of which are qualitatively different than one litre of it? |
| [2] Hans: Qualitative quantities. Hegel, in the “Lesser Logic” http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/sl/slbeing.htm, says the following about quantity and quality: |
| Quality is, in the first place, the character identical with being: so identical that a thing ceases to be what it is, if it loses its quality. Quantity, on the contrary, is the character external to being, and does not affect the being at all. Thus, e.g. a house remains what it is, whether it be greater or smaller; and red remains red, whether it be brighter or darker. |
| In answer [1], Ames stumbles on the next concept which Hegel introduces after quality and quantity, namely that of measure. Hegel argues, roughly, that although the qualities of things are not affected by their quantities, there is a ‘right’ quantity for each thing, which Hegel calls the “measure” of the thing. Admittedly, this is a very crude approximation of Hegel's argument, but given this simplification, breast implants are a good example. Although the second breast implant made by the surgeon is exactly the same procedure as the first -- there is only a quantitative difference between them -- the ‘right’ number of breast implants to perform is usually two. |
| A measure is indeed a quantity which has become qualitative; but it is not the same as the famous concept of quantity turning into quality. |
| If you want to go beyond my crude approximation, the following article (which you can download as a pdf) may be helpful: |
| Carlson, David Gray, “Hegel's Theory of Quantity” (August 28, 2002). Cardozo Law Review, Vol. 24, No. 6, 2002 Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=326822 or DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.326822 |
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