The absolute

From the Latin absolutus, meaning whole or complete. In philosophy, however, its use is slightly more rarified, coming to the subject in the 'idealist' writings of the eighteenth century epic poet Friedrich Schelling and his schoolmate and fellow German, Hegel. Schelling used it to signify the unity of the knower with that which is known, while for Hegel it was synonymous with the final triumph of abstract logic. This he predicted as a (somewhat implausible) consequence of the evolution of human society.