The positive outcome of philosophyDietzgen, Joseph
Philosophy
The positive outcome of philosophy
Dietzgen, Joseph
Knowledge, Theory of; Logic; Philosophy
The universe is the truth. The universe is that which is universal, that
is, things which exist and are perceived. The general mark of truth is
existence, because universal existence is truth. Now, existence is not a
general abstraction, but a reality in the concrete form of sense
perceptions. The world of sense perceptions has its true and perceptible
existence in the passing and manifold manifestations of nature and life.
Therefore all manifestations are recognized as relative truths, all
truths as concrete and temporal manifestations. The manifestation of
practice is considered as a truth in theory, and vice versa, the truth
of theory is manifested in practice. Opposites are mutually relative.
Truth and error differ only comparatively, in volume of degree, like
being and seeming, life and death, light and dark, like all other
opposites in the world. It is a matter of course that all things of this
world are worldly, consequently are of the same matter, the same nature,
the same family, the same quality. In other words, every volume of
perceptible manifestation forms in contact with the human faculty of
thought a being, a truth, a general thing. For our consciousness, every
particle of dust as well as every dust cloud, or any other mass of
material manifestations, is on the one hand an abstract "thing in
itself," and on the other a passing phenomenon of the absolute object,
the universe. Inside of this universe the various manifestations are
systematized or generalized at will and on purpose by means of our mind.
The chemical element is as much a manysided system as the organic cell
or the whole vegetable kingdom. The smallest and the largest being is
divided into individuals, species, families, classes, etc. This
systematization, this generalization, this generation of beings is
continued in an ascending scale up to the infinity of the universe, and
in the descending scale down to the infinity of the parts. In the eyes
of the faculty of thought all qualities become abstract things, all
things relative qualities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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