The philosophy of nature has always been considered one of the most controversial and obscure parts of what is usually referred to as Hegel's system. Very often the reader is struck by the awkwardness of certain passages, or by the overall intentions of Hegel, which sometimes are quite hard to make out to begin with. And yet Hegel seems to have devoted many of his efforts to this part. The additions to the philosophy of nature are among the longest, most intricate and exhaustive in the whole Encyclopaedia. His knowledge of the contemporary accomplishments in most scientific disciplines was thorough and his discussion thereof quite detailed.