What is primary - matter or consciousness? Criticism of a simplified approach. What is primary - matter or consciousness? What is more important consciousness or matter

The main question of philosophy

The main in philosophy is traditionally considered the question of the relation of thinking to being, and being to thinking (consciousness).Matter and consciousness (spirit) are two inseparable and at the same time opposite characteristics of being. In this regard, there are two sides the main question of philosophy- ontological and gnoseological.

Ontological(existential) Side of the main issue of philosophy is to formulate and solve the problem: what is primary - matter or consciousness?

Essence gnoseological (cognitive)parties to the main question: Do you know or unknow the world that is primarily in the process of knowledge?

Depending on the ontological and gnoseological sides, the main directions are allocated in philosophy - accordingly materialism and idealism, as well as empiricism, rationalism and agnosticism.

Materialism- Direction in philosophy, supporters of which believe that the matter is primary and exists independently of consciousness (that is, there exists independently of the thinking creatures and from whether anyone thinks about it or not), and consciousness, the spirit is secondary, this is a property of high-organized matter.

Idealism- The direction in philosophy, whose supporters in the relations of matter and consciousness primary consider consciousness (idea, spirit).

Empiricism- The direction in philosophy, which justifies that the world is recognized only on the basis of the experience and sensory feelings of people.

Rationalism(from lat. ratio.- "Mind") - direction in philosophy, which emphasizes that true (reliable) knowledge can be derived only directly from the mind and does not depend on sensory experience.

Agnosticism- Direction in philosophy, whose supporters believe that the world around me is unrecognizable, and human ideas, the knowledge of the world is an illusion.

And at present, despite the millennial searches of philosophers, the main question of philosophy actually remains an eternal philosophical problem ..

In the 20th century, in Western philosophy there was a tendency to pay less attention to the traditional basic issue of philosophy, as it is difficult.

Jaspers, Heidegter, Cami, etc. laid the foundations that another major issue of philosophy may appear in the future - the problem of existentiationism,that is, the problem of man, its existence, management of its own spiritual world, relationships within society and with society, its free choice, finding the meaning of life and its place in life, happiness.

When considering the ontological (exisons) side of the main issue of philosophy, such directions can be distinguished as: materialism;

Vulgar materialism;

Objective idealism;

Subjective idealism;

Dualism;

Materialism(so-called "Line of Democritus")- Direction in philosophy, supporters of which believed that in the relations of matter and the consciousness of the primary is the matter.

Hence:

Matter really exists;

Matter exists regardless of consciousness (that is, there exists independently of the thinking creatures and from whether anyone thinks about it or not);

Matter is an independent substance - does not need its existence in any other way;

Matter exists and develops according to its internal laws;

Consciousness (spirit) is the property of highly organized matter reflect itself (matter);

Consciousness is not an independent substance that exists along with matter;

Consciousness is determined by matter (Genesis). The advantage of materialism is a support for science, especially on

accurate and natural (physics, mathematics, chemistry, etc.), the logical proof of many provisions of materialists.

The weak side of materialism is an insufficient explanation of the essence of consciousness, the presence of the phenomena of the surrounding world, not explained from the point of view of materialists.

A special direction has highlighted in materialism - vulgar materialism.His representatives (Fokht, Mesmales) absolute the role of matter, overly enjoyed by the study of matter from the point of view of physics, mathematics and chemistry, its mechanical side. In their opinion, the human brain also distinguishes the thought, consciousness, as the liver allocates bile, i.e., vulgar materialism ignores the qualitative difference in consciousness and matter.

Idealism (Plato Line)- direction in philosophy, supporters of which in relations between matter and consciousness primary

considered consciousness (idea, spirit). In idealism, two independent directions are distinguished:

Objective idealism (Plato, Leibniz, Hegel, etc.);

Subjective idealism (Berkeley, Yum).

Founder objective idealismpLAON is considered. According to the concept of objective idealism:

■ There is really an idea only;

■ Idea primary;

■ All surrounding reality is divided into "the world of ideas" and "The World of Things";

■ "The World of Ideas" (Eidos) initially exists in the world mind (divine intent);

■ "The World of Things" - the material world does not have an independent existence and is the embodiment of the "World of Ideas";

■ Each single thing - the embodiment of the idea (Eidosa) of this thing (for example, the horse is the embodiment of the overall idea of \u200b\u200bthe horse, the house is the ideas of the house, the ship's ship's ship, etc.);

■ God Creator plays a big role in the transformation of "clean ideas";

■ Separate ideas ("The World of Ideas") objectively exist independently of human consciousness.

In contrast to objective idealists subjective idealists(Berkeley, Yum, etc.) believed that:

Everything exists only in the consciousness of the knowledgeing subject (person);

Ideas exist in the mind of a person;

Images (ideas) of material belongs also exist only in the mind of a person through sensual sensations;

Out of the consciousness of a separate person neither matter, no spirit (ideas)

does not exist.

A weak feature of idealism is the lack of a reliable (logical) explanation for the very presence of "clean ideas" and turning the "pure idea" into a specific thing (the mechanism of matter and ideas).

Along with the polar (competing), the main directions of philosophy - materialism and idealism - there are intermediate (compromise) flows - dualism, deism.

Dualismas the philosophical direction was founded by Descartes. The essence of dualism is that:

There are two independent substances - material (possessing the course of stretching) I.Dukhovna (having the property of thinking);

Everything in the world is derived (is a modus) or from one or from other specified substances (material things - from material, ideas - from spiritual);

In a person, two substances are connected simultaneously - both material and spiritual;

Matter and consciousness (spirit) are two opposite and interrelated sides of the Unified Being;

The main issue of philosophy (which is primary - matter or consciousness) in reality does not exist, as the matter and consciousness complement each other and there are always.

Deism- Direction in philosophy, whose supporters (mostly French enlighteners of the XVIII century) recognized the presence of God, who, in their opinion, the world itself, no longer participates in its further development and does not affect the life and actions of people (that is, they recognized God, practically no "authority", which should only serve as a moral symbol). Deists also considered the matter spiritualized and did not oppose the matter and spirit (consciousness).

"Philosophers and scientists in endless disputes about the primaryness of consciousness or matter have forgotten that the concept of consciousness was used without any explanation. And if, for example, dialectical materialism gave a more or less acceptable explanation of matter as "objective reality given to us in sensations", then no better consciousness could come up with respect to consciousness, except to "explain" his higher qualitative state of the very "objective reality ", Which" we are given in sensations. " Is it really stunning logic?

The idealists, in turn, were not so far away from such logic, preaching the primacy of the consciousness, the absolute idea, the absolute, the Logos, ultimately, the Lord God, who (ha) and created (L) the "objective reality" surrounding us.

In general, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the question itself: "What is primary - matter or consciousness?", It is absurd by itself. Just as the absurd the question of the reality of the egg or chicken. Just as chickens do not happen without an egg, it does not happen eggs without chicken and there is no consciousness without matter and matter without consciousness. Both of these concepts are simply inseparable and do not exist without each other. Just the concept of matter is much wider than modern science represents, and consciousness has many states, qualitatively differing from each other.

First of all, let's lay out the main criteria of consciousness:

1. Awareness, allocation of itself as a carrier of consciousness from the environment.
2. Harmonious interaction of the medium of consciousness with the environment.

And if we consider a person through the prism of these criteria, it is possible to determine the degree of its intelligence as a carrier of consciousness. And if with the separation of themselves from the whole of the environment, Homo Sapiens is in perfect order, unfortunately, with harmonious interaction with the environment, things are very afraid. The person declared a real war of nature, instead of living with her in symbiosis. And for this, it is absolutely no need to return to the wild and expect from nature that she will "want" to give a person.

It is necessary to know the laws of nature and using this knowledge, qualitatively change it so as not to violate the harmony of the environmental system. And then the climate control of the planet, and control over its elements, and harmony with all other beings that have no less, and maybe more rights to breathe clean air, drink clean water and transfer their descendants to their descendants.

It is amazing that a person looks at nature, as a conqueror, and not as a child, fed by her breast. And as long as such a state of affairs persists, humanity has to be considered a potentially reasonable race as he has just gave birth to a child, which is all ahead. I would like to wish that the "infant phase" will not dragged into so long that there will be no one and there is no place to visit the "kindergarten" of nature ...

Matter and consciousness, consciousness and matter. These two concepts laid unity and opposite. Consciousness implies the intelligence in the behavior of the carrier of consciousness. Reasonality, in turn, manifests itself in the adequacy of reactions to the processes occurring in the environment. Adequacy is rationality, the optimality of certain reactions of the carrier of consciousness. Thus, one of the characteristics of consciousness is the rationality of the behavior of a consciousness carrier, which in any case is a material object. In other words, consciousness is manifested in a certain way organized matter. It is only necessary to determine what the organization should be the organization so that they manifest themselves to those or other elements of consciousness. The person is accustomed to to divide the matter for the living and non-living, forgetting that, both alone and the other are formed by the same atoms.

And any alive matter atom, sooner or later, will become part of inanimate and vice versaMany atoms of inanimate matter will become part of the alive. A similar difference is determined only by the fact that the ratio of mass of alive and inanimate matter is not equivalent. Live matter is only a minor part of the mass of inanimate. Nevertheless, both are completely able to move one to another, the difference only in the spatial organization and the qualitative structure of these matter. Thus, the qualitative difference between lively and inanimate matter is reduced to the difference in the spatial organization and the qualitative structure of matter.

What is primary - consciousness or matter? This question can be considered one of the initial philosophies, moreover, it can be said with confidence that this is one of its main problems. The connection of matter and consciousness is the problem of the ratio of spirit and nature, soul and body, thinking and being, etc.

Each philosophical school was looking for answers to the question: What is primary - matter or consciousness? What is the attitude of thinking to being? Why constantly these concepts replace each other? Is it possible to consciousness without matter and vice versa? The philosophers are already engaged in these and similar issues, and not even one millennium. We set up the same question.

It is from this position that we decided to appreciate our profession of the construction engineer, because a large part of their social activity a person performs precisely as part of professional activities. Ask us in the first year of study, before studying the course of philosophy, we would not think, they answered that in the construction of the primary matter. But is it just this answer to this question?

Search for a response to the question "What is primary - consciousness or matter?" Relevant to this day. That is why we decided to try to answer it in this work. And to get better to deal with the topic, it is necessary to consider searching for answers in any narrow sphere, for example, in construction activities.

Historical monuments show that all in the past man was the result of his material activity. Indeed, without conversion of the environment and nature, as well as satisfying its own social and biological needs through organized activities, a person cannot exist and develop as a bio-social object. Except is not the scope of construction.

Construction activity is one of the most ancient types of human activity. As a general definition, construction is the construction of buildings and structures for the needs of man and society. The construction can be called any result of construction activities and a change in the surrounding world aimed at the persecution of any purpose. Thus, even one stone, laid on the other stone, can be considered a construction. But with such an interpretation of the concept of construction, it can be said that it can also be engaged in most of the representatives of the animal world: ants during the construction of anthills, bees - hives, birds - nests, etc.

However, with the development of society as a type of social, this type of activity was the same stage of change as a person, separating from the natural components and becoming a more social type of activity. It is possible that construction even has become one of the historical catalysts of the department of humanity from nature.

If we consider both a person and construction in the earliest stages of development, we can conclude that in those days the material part of construction has almost completely prevailed: it was carried out spontaneously and very intuitively. If you push out from the above example with two stones, a person took only a little change the existing relief by extracting one stones from the surface of the Earth - no particular manifestation of consciousness is observed here.

However, construction went pace with the social development of society. The first types of architecture appeared: the beginning of the persecution of new goals, the desire to take into account social factors in all areas of activity, including in construction, gives impetus to the development of this craft. So, instead of putting two unchanged stones, a person decides to destroy their structure, form and properties created by nature itself and create a new material.

In our opinion, the most striking example in this case is the architecture of ancient Egypt to this day. In each textbook on the history of architecture, there are Egyptian pyramids, temple complexes, irrigation systems and other monuments of their construction activities. And this is not just that, because it is in the time of the "Pyramids" for the implementation of most construction work, not only the physical strength of builders, but also their mental capabilities, that is, their consciousness. That is how the first options for all of us the famous architect profession appeared.

Sincere time, a person experienced a lot of political and scientific revolutions. The very first manifestations of protoarchitets and the modern construction industry have little in common. At this stage of construction development to the process of direct creation of architectural facilities, a number of material processes are preceded: full and mandatory destruction is not just relief, but as many as tens of square meters of the Earth's surface; the destruction of existing buildings; and a large number of other examples.

However, all these material processes are preceded by one of the most important stages of construction - the creation of project documentation. In their imagination, further captured on paper or other carrier, architects, designers and designers create future structures. Stripping from this fact, it is possible to conclusted that the mental process in modern developed construction activities is always preceded by the material component, only this process of creation occurs in the consciousness of the Creator.

Thus, in modern construction, six main stages can be distinguished:

1) the initial situation;

2) the stage of mental, conscious creation;

3) the stage of material preparatory destruction with constant inclusions of consciousness in the process;

4) stage of material creation with constant control of consciousness;

5) the material result with the conscious operation of the construction object;

6) unconscious, or on the contrary, the rational destruction of the object.

Now, when we sorted out with the primacy of consciousness and matter in construction, consider the process of creating a macrocosm and everything that is. According to the theory of a large explosion, as well as after carrying out an analogy between it and comparing it with many religious teachings, the following steps can be distinguished during the creation of the Universe:

1) the stage of absolute nothing;

2) a stimulating situation;

3) the stage of material destruction of absolute nothing (in religion with the participation of the consciousness of God);

4) stage of material creation (in religion with constant control of consciousness);

5) the material result is a microcosm with its own consciousness (in religion with a constant patronage of God's consciousness);

6) Unconscious, and in religion, on the contrary, the conscious destruction of the macrocosm.

After holding the simplest analogy between the stages of construction and the stages of the creation of the microcosm, it can be assumed that the stimulating situation for the destruction of emptiness and nothing, as well as the creation of the world around the world, has become a conscious thought.

Considering all of the above, it can be concluded that the construction is a very close to the process of creating the universe type of creation. This means that without a thought and conscious component, the creation in construction would always follow the process of material destruction and, most likely, it would be even impossible or remained at the level of meaningless and chaotic protoarchitecture. The considered example with two stones is directly confirmed. When the whole process of construction, as in the historical example of the creation of Egyptian structures, precede conscious and mental processes of thought, then a new type of social activity appears - architecture.

In the process of writing this article, we also made a number of conclusions and responded to the three main issues I. Kant:

1) We know that our professional activity carries both creative and destructive components. However, with a conscious approach to construction, the creation prevails. Consequently, we know that it was not mistaken with the profession of the construction engineer, wanting to build in this world.

2) We must pay great attention to the creation of projects in our consciousness at the design stage, because without high-quality design, construction loses its creative power.

3) We must hope that the results of our proper mental creation as follows the stage of the gradual and final destruction of the objects of our construction activity.

Bibliography:

1. Glazichiv V.L. Sunset of architecture // Building "ARX": Development, Urban planning, architecture - M.: Building Media, 2007 - №4 (11) - 164 p.
2. Glazichiv V.L. Sociology of architecture - what and what? // Collection of the Union of Architects of the USSR "Architecture" - M.: Stroyzdat, 1978 - №2 (21) - 226c.

We live in the Universe, where Being forms consciousness, which means that the living organism grows, lives and thinks in accordance with the living conditions in which he is. For example, some kind of predator hides among plants in the jungle because it is the most plants surrounded and nature has programmed his consciousness to use the survival environment, and in the case of a person, for example, a society in which he grows to give him certain values \u200b\u200b(but among people are and exceptions).
But this is if you look at the side of scientific rationalism, but if you add a little metaphysics and syllogisms ...
Consciousness cannot exist outside the body, if it is not its product, then at least "locked" in it. Consciousness is generated from the body (I mean matter). But in order for this very matter to somehow feel, the observer is needed, "one who feels". And all the feelings and perception are a product of the receptors of the senses and brain organs: the senses are tracked by various information from the world around, and the brain already analyzes and builds the very picture of the world. The real world is, that shows you your brain. In the physical world there are no colors - it is only long wave, and the sound is only different fluctuations in the environment. In Genesis of the blind, there is no such thing as "red" or "blue". There are no melodies and sounds in the universe, and schizophrenics see what is not in the objective reality (for other people) does not exist, but for them there is no clear separation between hallucinations and reality, as the other-product of consciousness (remember the film "Mind games").
It can be said that consciousness forms being, and Being forms consciousness.
But this is by no means an unambiguous answer! This is only reflections, because these questions, as for me, there is no unambiguous answers. And I hope on the site there will be people who fix me or give a wider answer.

You write:

• "Consciousness cannot exist outside the body, if it is not its product, then at least" locked "in it."

The sleeping person in a dream there are images where his body is busy than that (running, flies, swims), although in fact the body is sleeping, lying on the bed. It turns out that consciousness exists in another body at this moment for this person. It turns out the consciousness is not locked in the body.

• "Consciousness is generated from the body (then you mean matter)."

During clinical death, the physiologically body is dead, and in consciousness a person sees his body from the side. There are many such evidence of people who survived clinical death.

Do you think that consciousness is generated by the dead body?

• "It can be said that consciousness forms being, and being forms consciousness. But this is by no means an unambiguous answer!"

I would say this:

Consciousness does not form Being, and the consciousness testifies to being, acts witness to being.

Being forms a person, mentality, knowledge, but does not form consciousness. The human body is also part of being. Being forms what the consciousness is evidenced.

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At the main philosophical question: "What is primary - matter or consciousness?" - There are moments - existent and cognitive. Female, in other words, the ontological side is to find solutions to the main problem of philosophy. And the essence of the cognitive, or the gnoseological side is to resolve the issue of whether they are learning or do not know the world.

Depending on these two sides, four main directions are distinguished. This is a physical look (materialism) and idealistic, experienced (empiricism) and rationalistic.

Ontology has the following directions: materialism (classic and vulgar), idealism (objective and subjective), dualism, deism.

The gnoseological side is represented by five directions. This is Gnosticism and the resulting later agnosticism. Three more - empiricism, rationalism, sensualism.

Line of Democrita

In the literature, materialism is often called the line of democritus. His supporters considered the correct answer to the question of the fact that primary - matter or consciousness, matter. In accordance with this, the patient postulates sound like this:

• matter really exists, and it is independent of consciousness;
• matter is an autonomous substance; It needs only in itself and develops according to their internal law;
• consciousness is a property to reflect itself, which belongs to highly organized matter;
• consciousness is not an independent substance, it is being.

Among the philosophers-materialists put in front of them is the main question that primary matter or consciousness can be allocated:

• Democrites;
• Falez, Anaximandra, Anaximen (Millet School);
• Epicura, Bacon, Locke, Spinozu, Didro;
• Herzen, Chernyshevsky;
• Marx, Engels, Lenin.

Passion natural

Separately allocate vulgar materialism. He is represented by Fokht, Moveshott. In this direction, when we are talking about that primary matter or consciousness, the role of matter is absolutized.

Philosophers are fond of research material using the exact sciences: physics, mathematics, chemistry. They ignore consciousness as an essence and its opportunity to influence the matter. According to representatives of vulgar materialism, the human brain gives a thought, and consciousness, like a liver, highlights the horror. This direction does not recognize the qualitative difference between the mind and matter.

According to modern researchers, when the question is that the primary - matter or consciousness, the philosophy of materialism, relying on accurate and natural sciences, logically proves their postulates. But there is a weak side - a scant explanation of the essence of consciousness, the lack of interpretations of many phenomena of the world. Materialism dominated in the philosophy of Greece (the era of democracy), in the states of Ellinov, in England XVII century, in France XVIII century, in the socialist countries of the XX century.

Plato Line

Idealism is called Plato's line. Supporters of this direction believed that the consciousness is primary, the matter is secondary in solving the main philosophical problem. Idealism allocates two autonomous directions: objective and subjective.

Representatives of the first direction - Plato, Leibniz, Hegel and others. The second was supported by such philosophers like Berkeley and Yum. The founder of objective idealism consider Plato. The views of this direction are characterized by an expression: "Only the idea is real and primary." Objective idealism says:

• the surrounding reality is the world of ideas and the world of things;
• the Eidos (ideas) sphere exists in the divine (worldwide) mind;
• the world of things is material and does not have a separate existence, but is an embodiment of ideas;
• each single thing - the embodiment of Eidos;
• the most important role to convert the idea to a specific thing to the Creator's God is launched;
• separate Eidoses exist objectively, regardless of our consciousness.

Feelings and reason

Subjective idealism, saying that the consciousness is primary, the matter is secondary, argues:

• everything exists only in the mind of the subject;
• ideas are in the human mind;
• images of physical things are also only in mind due to sensory sensations;
• neither matter nor Eidos live separately from human consciousness.

The disadvantage of this theory is that there are no reliable and logical explanations of the mechanism of the transformation of Eidos into a specific thing. Philosophical idealism dominated the time of Plato in Greece, in the Middle Ages. And today it is distributed in the USA, Germany and some other countries of Western Europe.

Monism and dualism

Materialism, idealism - relate to monism, i.e., the teachings about one primary start. Descartes founded dualism, the essence of which is in theses:

• there are two independent substances: physical and spiritual;
• physical has stretch properties;
• spiritual has thinking;
• in the world, all is derived or from one or from the second substance;
• physical items come from matter, and ideas - from the spiritual substance;
• matter and spirit - interrelated opposites of one being.

In search of a response to the main question of philosophy: "What is primary - matter or consciousness?" - You can briefly formulate: matter and consciousness exist always and complement each other.

Other directions in philosophy

Pluralism argues that the world has many originated as the monads in the theory of Labitsa.

Deism recognizes the presence of God, who once created the world and no longer takes part in its further development, does not affect the actions and life of people. Deists represent French philosophers-enlighteners of the XVIII century - Voltaire and Rousseau. They did not oppose the matter of consciousness and considered it spiritualized.

Eclecticism mixes the concepts of idealism and materialism.

The founder of empiricism was F. Bacon. As opposed to idealistic statement: "Consciousness primary in relation to matter" - empirical theory says that only experience and feelings can be at the heart of knowledge. In mind (thoughts) there is nothing that before that was not mined experienced.

Denial of knowledge

Agnosticism is a direction that completely denying even the partial ability to comprehend the world through one subjective experience. This concept introduced T. G. Huxley, and I. Kant was a bright representative of agnosticism, which argued that the human mind has great opportunities, but they are limited. Based on this, the human mind gives rise to riddles and contradictions that have no chance of permission. Total contradictions, according to Kant, there are four. One of them: God exists - God does not exist. According to Kant, it is even what belongs to the cognitive possibilities of human reason, cannot be sophisticated, as a consciousness has only the ability to display things in sensory feelings, but he cannot know the inner essence.

Today, supporters of the idea of \u200b\u200b"matter is primary - the consciousness of the derived from matter" can be found very rarely. The world became religiously oriented, despite the essential difference in views. But despite the centuries-old search for thinkers, the main question of philosophy is definitely not solved. Neither supporters of Gnosticism, nor adherents of ontology could not answer him. This problem actually remains for thinkers unresolved. In the twentieth century, the Western School of Philosophy exhibits a tendency to reduce attention towards the traditional basic philosophical issue. He gradually loses its relevance.

Modern direction

Such scientists like Jaspers, Cami, Heidegger, suggest that a new philosophical problem can become an urgent new philosophical problem - existentialism. This is a question of man and its presentation, managing the personal spiritual world, internal public relations, freedom in choosing, the meaning of life, its place in society and the sensation of happiness.

From the point of view of existentialism, human being is a completely unique reality. It is impossible to apply inhuman measurements of causal relationships. Nothing external has power over people, they are the reason themselves. Therefore, in existentialism, they are talking about the independence of people. Existential is also a compatibility of freedom, the foundation of which is a person who creates himself and the responsibility for everything that does. Interestingly, in this direction there is an alloy of religiosity with atheism.

Since ancient times, a person is trying to know himself and find his place in the surrounding world. This problem has always been interested in thinkers. In search of answers sometimes left the whole life of the philosopher. The topic of the meaning of being is closely related to the problem of human essence. These concepts are intertwined and often coincide, as they are dealing with the highest phenomenon of the material world - man. But today, philosophy can not give the only clear and correct answer to these questions.