§20. “The true is the whole. However, the whole is only the essence completing itself through its own development. This much must be said of the absolute: It is essentially a result, and only at the end is it what it is in truth. Its nature consists just in this: to be actual, to be subject, or, to be the becoming-of-itself”.
The growth of a seed into a tree illustrates the notion of becoming and the process through which the seed comes to be what it is fully meant to be.
Essentially, the process of a seed growing into a tree represents a sort of completeness, or “the whole”. The seed itself, in its beginning stages, has the potential to become a tree, but it is only through the process of growing, which entails absorbing nutrients and energy, that it will eventually be realized as a whole tree. There is a non-linear natural process that occurs that ultimately results in the “absolute”, which highlights the “the true is the whole” idea that Hegel presents; in this sense, the whole (the tree) can only be acknowledged and appreciated once it has fully gone through its own development. Though the seed always had the potential to become a tree, it was only actualized once the becoming of itself was complete.
This ultimately connects to Hegel abstract ideas because similarly, truth is something that is revealed over time through developmental processes, as the tree is something that is only acknowledged once it is fully developed.
This was a great connection. I believe this same connection can also be applied to other things and not just a tree, which makes it very versatile in understanding and even being able to relate to it. Hegal seems to be a very complicated being. This might be one of the simplest things he’s said and to add, you were able to provide a very strong baseline answer that even new readers of Hegel would understand. Great job.
I like your connection between Hegel’s idea that “the true is the whole” and the growth of a seed into a tree. It’s a powerful image, isn’t it? The seed starts off so small, just a bundle of possibility. Then, through its journey of growth—soaking up water, nutrients, and sunlight—it becomes a tree, the fullest expression of what it was always meant to be. This really drives home Hegel’s point about truth and wholeness being the end result of development. It’s like the tree is the truth of the seed, only fully recognized in its leafy, towering glory at the end of the process.