The forms of motion of matter are the ability of a substance to move in space and time. The very concept of “matter” is characterized as an omnipresent physical quantity with the following properties:
- This is the substance.
- A body, which, in turn, has separate parameters: mass, duration, location in a certain place.
There is another definition of matter. From the philosophical and materialistic point of view, it is a substance that has two types of reality: objective, which characterizes the beginning, and subjective - consciousness.
A versatile view of the concept of matter
The concept of “matter” was first discussed in ancient Greece. This term then meant everything living and existing in the world, it was the basis for the origin of life on Earth. Leucippus and Democritus were the first scientists to formulate such a definition.
In the Middle Ages, the topic: “Matter, the forms of its movement and existence” was discussed very actively. The greatest scientists and philosophers expressed their views on this issue, hypothesized and argued in defense of personal opinion.
For example, Thomas Hobbes conceived of matter as a substance, which is the "second". By it, in turn, he meant the basis of all things of a certain kind. However, for Thomas Hobbes there was no concept of “first matter”, because by it he understood the complete absence of form in space and time. Here is what he wrote in his scientific treatise: "This matter without form is a kind of idea of the body, which manifests itself in our mental departure from all physical concepts that exclude quantity and duration."
The famous English teacher John Locke put forward his theory. In his understanding, matter is an extended body with density. According to Locke, it is a consequence of our impressions that not a single thought or sensation can arise without reason. As he wrote in his writings: “Matter, of course, exists, but remains for us a certain substance - a carrier of the basic qualities of duration and density, invisible to the eye and not felt by the senses.”
In turn, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant called matter "the constituent parts of the essence", and their union - "the essential form." Based on this concept, he distinguished two types of matter :
- Logical. It represents concepts other than form.
- Physical, or infinity. It is a matter of all kinds of actions, limited only by the difference of one form from another.
Based on this, Kant gave the following definition of matter: a dense, durable body, occupying the entire world around us and being the basis for the generation of sensations. This point of view is still relevant and basic for all subsequent philosophical teachings and currents.
Signs of matter
A full-fledged study of the form of motion of matter has led to the identification of its main features:
- For the independent development of the form of movement requires its own contradiction.
- The basis of each form is the relationship of separately located parts in the structure of matter, from which later a material carrier is formed.
- Absolutely any form has a voluminous territory, filled with those objects, processes and phenomena that are not in other areas.
- The presence of quality and poise is inherent in any form of movement, leading to the emergence of unity with a variety of external manifestations.
- The form of development has an independent single entity, subjecting only to its own positions in the movement.
- Each type of movement forms a relationship only with a suitable material carrier, which is its way of origin and development.
- Absolutely every form in its entirety is represented by separate sciences and is indivisible between them.
Thus, matter, the forms of its movement and existence are deeper concepts than it might seem at first glance.
Representation and main classification of matter
The characteristic elements of matter are three components: displacement, space and time frames. Moreover, they all exist separately from it. In turn, the objects of matter possess the same concepts of space and time.
The German philosopher, associate of Marx and the founder of his works, Friedrich Engels, also paid attention to this issue. His authorship belongs to the following classification of the forms of motion of matter:
- Physical development.
- Chemical development.
- Mechanical
- Biological
- Social.
He considered them interconnected and fully complementary.
Along with forms, a substance also has certain properties:
- The lack of man-made creation and the possibility of destruction.
- Infinity of location in time and space.
- Matter is always inherent in movement and change, self-development, transformation and transition from one state to another.
- Determinability of all processes.
- The presence of causal relationships. It implies the interconnection of phenomena and objects with the structure of relations in matter, as well as their causes and conditions.
- Reflection. This process is present in all types of actions, however, it depends on the structure of interconnection systems and external influences. It is precisely because of this phenomenon that such a form as the abstractness of thought processes was born.
There are provisions on the placement of the form of motion of matter:
- The law of unity and repulsion of opposites. Engels believed that each form of matter has its own opposite, with which it simultaneously has a relationship and mutual repulsion.
- Transition of quantity into quality. According to this provision, quantity is that common that unites different objects, and quality is different in identical things and phenomena. Despite this difference, in materialism they are one - a measure, going beyond the borders of which leads to the destruction of unity. An example is the amount of alcohol sufficient to maintain sobriety in a person.
- Complete denial of denial. It is a continuation of the previous law. It implies stepping over a measure, breaking the old framework and accepting new ones with data taken from old borders.
The latest classification of matter
The above classification of forms from Engels was relevant in the Middle Ages. However, time has passed, concepts have changed, and with them the forms of motion of matter. This is due to the fact that, for example, the physical forms of motion of matter ceased to be only thermal, becoming a more expanded concept and phenomenon. Thus, the latest classification of forms of movement include:
- Moving in space.
- The movement of electromagnets as a sign of the relationship of the parts of the charges.
- The development of the gravitational field: a strong interconnection of nuclei in space and weakened, expressed in the absorption and emission of neutron particles.
- The chemical form of the motion of matter. It is a process and the overall result of the relationship of molecules and charged particles.
- From the field of geology. Indicates changes in the main geological systems: continents, layers of the earth's crust.
- The biological form of motion of matter. It may include natural processes in nature: synthesis, cellular changes.
- Social form. Represents all the phenomena that occur in society. It is the most complex and multifaceted among all of the above.
Groups of forms of motion of matter
The main forms of motion of matter have their own definition, according to which they are a kind of movement and the relationship of material things with the expression of the main changes in their unity. Based on this thesis, the following version was developed: absolutely every substance is inherent not in a single, but in a multiple form of material displacement in space and time. In support of this theory, three main groups of forms of movements are distinguished, each of which has its own numerous subgroups.
Inorganic form. It includes the following main subgroups:
- Movement in space.
- The movement of elementary particles and various types of fields: electromagnetic, from the field of gravity, with varying degrees of interconnection.
- The movement and transition of atoms and molecules into completely different forms, including the chemical component.
- The reincarnation of bodies in the universe - planets, stars, galaxies.
Organic nature. It includes all the processes inherent in living organisms:
- Metabolism.
- Preservation of internal stability, management and reproduction in biological and other ecological systems.
- The relationship of the biological system with nature.
- Biological processes occurring inside the body and contribute to the safety of all living things.
- Biological processes and the mechanical form of matter motion occurring in ecological systems and determining the location and origin of all living things.
Social form. It includes:
- The efficiency of society.
- The highest levels of reflective properties and the transformation of reality.
The most complicated forms of substance movement come from lower ones and include their transformation. However, despite the relationship and influence, high forms are completely different from low ones.
The need to gain knowledge about the nature of the relationship is dictated by the desire to find out the true essence of the world, its main manifestations, as well as the mechanism for managing them.
Types of motion of matter
In philosophical doctrine, there are not only the basic forms of motion of matter, but also its types. There is the following classification of varieties:
- In count. Represents the movement of matter in space with the complete preservation of properties and signs.
- By quality. The destruction of any object - until complete decay into atoms and molecules - with the transformation into a completely different form of matter with new properties.
The second type of movement has two subgroups:
- Dynamic movement in space. This is the process of maintaining the stability of the object with the absence of external changes, even after a long period. In addition, this can include the transformation of the light states of objects into more complex and perfect ones. For example, this happens during the nucleation and development of stars or the sequence of development at a certain level of matter.
- Population. The exact opposite of dynamic movement. It characterizes the movement of one type of quality to another with a complete change in the levels of organization. These include the transfer of an inorganic structure to an organic one or the origin of human life.
Regressiveness, progressiveness and isolation of the motion of matter
Originally understood as the transition of bodies from one space to another, the movement / development of the form of motion of matter over time has become much more widely understood - as a chemical reaction, the presence of processes in a living being and society in society.
However, in the general classification of matter as a species, completely new forms of motion appeared - in the direction of:
- Progressiveness, that is, constant movement upward.
- Regressiveness, that is, a constant return to the original state.
- Closure. That is, constant movement in a closed circuit. However, it is proved that this form has no logical justification, which means it has no right to exist: no action can be performed in exactly the same way and with a return to the starting point.
Philosophical Directions
Scientists around the world in the Middle Ages argued about how many principles the foundation of the world has, on which the emergence of concepts such as space, time, the forms of motion of matter depends. During the controversy, two camps formed:
- There is only monism, that is, a single beginning for the whole foundation of the world.
- There are several principles at once, i.e. dualism.
However, there was also a third party. These scientists completely denied matter and idealism, preferring an unknown “third line” - a direction that has nothing to do with either materialism or idealism. It was this hypothesis that was subsequently adopted by the best philosopher scientists from around the world. However, it turned out to be illogical, and therefore unacceptable for execution: according to theory, its entire evolution tended to idealism, being, in fact, it, but only in a veiled form.
Vitalism as an additional direction in movement
Along with the above directions of the form of motion of matter, philosophy also highlights such as vitalism, that is, vitality. According to him, a completely different reason for the emergence of man is revealed: it is no longer a mixture of physics and chemistry in general matter, but an object that has a living force - the soul. According to such a direction as materialism, this phenomenon is explained as a natural process of the transformation of matter, its transition from one stage to another with a change in its characteristic properties.
It also clarifies the fact that consciousness is characteristic of a person with a soul. It exists only when moving, therefore, is the basis for the whole world. Consciousness manifested itself initially as the need to provide an additional reservoir for human processing of information. Understanding this fact may lead to the disclosure of secret knowledge in various fields.
The principle of the unity of the world, the role of modern science and philosophy in its justification
The whole world is a variety of phenomena, processes and forms. Each of these components has its own space, the form of motion of matter of which is quite variable. However, this is only one side of philosophical doctrine. If you look at the problem from a different angle, you can see the whole integrity and unity of the world, forming an inextricable link between them. Such a union is called the principle of unity.
The same principle applies in a science such as natural science. According to her, everything in the world is interconnected and leads to the appearance of radically new matters and phenomena. Here are just a few examples:
- The unity of cosmic bodies in the solar system led to the birth of planets in the universe.
- All laws of conservation and movement of energy in space are a form of motion of matter.
- The unity of the chemical elements led to the creation of the table by Dmitry Mendeleev.
- The integrity of a large number of living matter contributed to the development of Charles Darwin's theory of the origin of species.
All this once again confirms the unity of the world as a connection of elementary particles with fundamental interaction. Thus, matter, the forms of its motion and existence are more complex, deep concepts than it might seem at first glance. No wonder that the interest of scientists in this phenomenon has not waned for many centuries.