THE UNITY OF IDENTITY AND DIFFERENCE AS THE ...

2.4) The Degrees of Truth Ascribed to Different Species
So far we have seen that the term “truth” applies to objects, rather than to
propositions, sentences, or thoughts. The term expresses the correspondence between the
concrete existence of the thing and its inherent norm or purpose. We have also seen that
the term admits of degrees, depending on how fully a particular object fulfills or
instantiates its inherent norm or purpose. One additional feature of Hegel’s conception of
truth should be noted here. In the same way that we can place various particulars of a
specific kind on a scale in terms of their degrees of truth, so we can also place different
kinds of things on a scale in terms of their degrees of truth. In other words, the term
“truth” does not simply modify particular kinds of things, as when we speak of a “true
athlete” or a “true artist.” More importantly, we can use the term in a sense that applies
to all things, in a sense that allows us to conceive all things in terms of a graduated scale
of truth.
This claim implies that the norms or purposes of different kinds of things share
certain structural features in terms of which they can be compared with one another. The
normative function of all things consists in their active striving to unite complex
diversity. At the most basic level, gravity seeks to unite the spatial diversity or the
manifold externality of matter. Similarly, the plant seeks to transform and integrate
chemical compounds into the harmonious unity of a single purpose. At a much higher
level, a state seeks to integrate various social tendencies, practices, classes, and modes of
production into a harmonious whole. In the most general or abstract terms, the purpose
of all genuine things consists in the striving to unite identity and difference. Objects seek
to unite the highest degree of complexity (difference) in a highly developed form of unity
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