Being is the most fundamental foundation of philosophy. This term refers to reality that exists objectively. It does not depend on human consciousness, emotions or will. Genesis is studied by a science such as ontology. It allows us to realize its objectively differentiated diversity, creating a superficial perception of the world. The philosophical meaning of the problem of being, its meaning, aspects and their meaning will be considered below.
The term "being"
To consider the philosophical meaning of the problem of being briefly extremely difficult. This is the fundamental category of science presented.
Her superficial study will not allow to realize the whole picture of the presented concept. There are different approaches to understanding the term "being." People use it in their speech, implying one of its three main meanings:
- This is an objectively existing (regardless of our consciousness) reality.
- A generalized statement that is used to describe the material conditions of life of people and society as a whole.
- It is synonymous with the word "existence."
In philosophical anthropology, the meaning of human existence is understood ambiguously. As in other sciences, this concept is a deep philosophical problem. A person can understand for himself this category from different perspectives. Depending on the choice of worldview position, the definition of being takes place. A person can choose science, faith, mysticism, religion, fantasy or practical life to form his concept of this category.
The philosophical meaning of the category of being is considered by this science as the main problem of a general or concrete worldview. This is the main component of metaphilosophy.
In a broad sense, this term should be considered as everything that is, that exists or is available. This is an extremely broad, endless and diverse category. Opposition to being is nothingness. This is something that does not or cannot exist at all.
If we consider the term more specifically, it denotes the entire material world. This is an objective reality that exists independently of human consciousness. In order to prove a similar quality of the material world, a substantiation takes place using empirical, experimental methods. So, for example, there is no need to prove the existence of beauty, cosmos, nature or other categories, regardless of human consciousness. But to justify the autonomy of the existence of a physical person (organism) from consciousness is much more complicated.
Historical research of the essence of being
To describe the philosophical meaning of the problem of being, we will briefly need to consider historical research in this field of knowledge. The first term introduced was used by Parmenides (philosopher of the 5-4 centuries BC). During the time of this thinker, people's faith in the gods of Olympus began to decline markedly. Myths began to be regarded as fiction, which ruined the basic world norms. The world, the Universe began to be perceived as something formless and unreliable, as if people had undergone support from under their feet. A man began to experience fear, anxiety, which made their life terrible.
People on the subconscious despaired, began to doubt everything, could not find a way out of the impasse. They needed to find a solid, reliable support, faith in a new force. In the person of Parmenides, philosophy was able to realize the prevailing problem. In place of doubts about the power of the gods came the awareness of the power of the mind, thought. But these were not just thoughts. This is a “pure”, absolute thought, which was not associated with sensory experience. Parmenides notified mankind of a new force revealed to him. She holds the world, not allowing him to plunge into chaos. This approach made it possible to streamline global processes in the understanding of people.
The new philosophical meaning of being was considered by Parmenides as providence, Divinity, eternal. He argued that all processes take place not just like that, but "by necessity." Things cannot change by chance. The sun does not suddenly go out, and people do not disappear in one day. For the subject-sensory world, the philosopher saw something that would serve as a guarantor for all things. Parmenides called it Deity, which meant for people a new support and support.
The term "being" the philosopher borrowed in Greek. But the meaning of this word has received a new content. To be is to exist in reality, to be available. This category was an objective response to the needs of that era. Parmenides endowed being with the following characteristics:
- This is what is behind the sensory world, this is thought.
- It is one, absolutely and invariably.
- There is no division into object and subject.
- There is a whole community of perfections, the main of which is Good, Truth, Good.
Being is a true existence that has no beginning and no end. It is indivisible, indestructible, endless. Being does not need anything, devoid of feelings. Therefore, it can be comprehended only by the mind, by thought. Parmenides, to describe briefly the philosophical meaning of the category of being, presented it to people in the form of a sphere that has no boundaries in space. Such a description follows from the idea that the ball is the most beautiful, perfect form.
By the thought, which is being, according to the philosopher, he meant the Logos. This is the cosmic Mind through which a person reveals for himself the Truth of being. It opens to people directly.
Essence of being
You need to understand the essence of the presented term, considering the concept of being. The philosophical meaning of the problem of being is realized through the interaction of things. Between them there are certain relationships. Things influence each other, changing each other.
The existence of the world can be revealed in the concepts of “time”, “matter”, “motion” and “space”. Over time, people change in communication. They have a mutual influence on each other. Demand affects supply, and production affects consumption. Such mutual processes lead to the fact that objects cease to be as they were before. Being of a certain form passes into non-existence. It is the interaction that underlies these two concepts. It determines the finiteness of being, as well as the fragmentation of material reality.
If one thing went into non-existence, the other began to exist in reality. This is a prerequisite. Nothingness and being condition each other's existence. These are two opposites that, in unity, gain infinity.
Boundedness, finiteness are only a fragment of being. The life roots and philosophical meaning of the problem of being must be considered from this position. If you combine all the fragments of being, both sides, you get unlimited. This is quantitative and qualitative infinity.
Such a feature is inherent in being in the general sense, but not in the world as a whole or in a specific object. Moreover, immortality for a particular object is impossible in principle, since it interacts only with a limited circle of other objects. They reveal only a limited number of properties.
Therefore, the foundation of being is interaction. Without it, existence would not be able to manifest itself. Perhaps only that which interacts. This is especially evident for a person. For us, that which cannot be determined by the senses, consciousness, cannot exist. This does not mean at all that what we do not know does not exist. It can interact with something else. It is, but for us it does not exist.
The essence of human being
The philosophical meaning of the concept of being must also be considered from the perspective of human society. The essence of this concept for a specific individual also matters. Man is a bodily, material being. He is considered in philosophy as a thing. He interacts with other objects, changing them. This, for example, may be a nutritional process. We eat by processing food.
But in contrast to all other things, man has the ability to reflect reality in consciousness. Therefore, our impact on the subject is focused. It is conditioned by consciousness. This mode of interaction is specific. Such a person’s ability fundamentally changes the attitude of one individual towards other people, as well as to his own personality.
The relationships an individual enters into are conditioned by labor. In this case, this is a social interaction, which includes the spiritual foundation.
Considering the vital and philosophical meaning of the problem of being, it is worth noting that the concepts presented act not only as a bodily or objective phenomenon. This existence is also spiritual. So a person relates to social and natural reality.
A substantive understanding of being allows you to see the self-worth of a holistic individual. This allows you to focus on preserving the natural environment for humans. In this case, he is considered as a subject-bodily being. In this case, it cannot be reduced to an information complex or a set of interactions.
Man is understood as a special bodily-spiritual microcosm. He pursues the interests of developing his own spiritual sphere while preserving the subject-bodily nature. He needs to maintain a natural environment for his own existence. This is the main condition for the preservation of human existence as such. Therefore, one of the "cornerstones" in the theoretical basis of humanism is the abstract philosophical understanding of things, their interaction and properties.
Forms
There are two approaches to determining the philosophical meaning of the problem of being. The main forms of being by the nature of existence are divided into two groups:
In the first case, this form means, for example, the solar system. Ideal being is the idea of its occurrence.
By nature, the category presented may be:
- Existence is objective. Its characteristic feature is independence from human consciousness.
- Being is subjective. It is an integral part of human consciousness.
To understand what is at stake, you need to consider the philosophical meaning and basic forms of being. So, its material forms can be:
- Natural organic substances, for example, biological species.
- Natural and inorganic objects. This category includes planets, stars, seas, mountains, etc.
- Social.
- Customized.
- Artificial. These are mechanisms created by man.
Ideal forms of existence are:
- The ideal is objective (thinking, law).
- The ideal is subjective (e.g. dreams).
It is also worth highlighting the following forms of being:
- The existence of man.
- Being spiritual. This is the unity of the unconscious and conscious principle, knowledge, which is expressed through speech.
- The existence of social. This is a unity of varieties of human activity. A subspecies of this category is an individualized and social existence.
- The existence of things, bodies, processes.
There are different types of being:
- State of nature (e.g. natural disaster).
- The primary natural environment that arose before a person and his consciousness. It is primary and objective. This implies the birth of man and the appearance of his spirit after nature. We are inextricably linked to the environment.
- Processes, things that were created by people. This is a secondary nature.
Problems of philosophical understanding of existence
Considering what is the philosophical meaning of the category of "being", it is worth saying that this concept has several main problems:
- definition of existence;
- substantiation of its forms and types;
- unity and uniqueness of existence;
- the relationship between the immortality of being and the destruction of its individual elements;
- a combination of the unity of this category with the independence and diversity of the elements of its content;
- independence of reality from a person, but at the same time his objective involvement in the general process.
One of the most important problems of philosophy remains the comparison between real and potential being.
Another eternal problem of philosophical science in the direction presented is the relationship between the ideal and the material. It was designated the main one in the philosophy of Marxism. At the same time, being and thinking, spirit and nature were compared. By existence in this teaching was meant exclusively the material world.
Such relationships were considered in the context of two main categories. The first of them determines the primacy of the ideal or material. The second category argues the possibility of humanity to know the essence of existence.
Depending on which of the principles will be a priority, philosophical worldviews are divided into idealistic and materialistic schools. The second of the directions of this teaching was consistently upheld by Democritus. He made the assumption that the basis of all being is an indivisible particle - an atom. This particle does not develop and is impermeable. This philosopher believed that everything consists of a different combination of atoms. Democritus was of the opinion that the soul and consciousness are secondary to the material. This statement is held by many scientists, considering the philosophical meaning of the problem of being. The category of being is defined as a certain combination of material and intangible principles. But this combination, sequence, all philosophers see differently.
Matter
Considering the category of being, its philosophical meaning and specificity, it is worth paying attention to its relationship with matter and consciousness. Such interaction acts as a concretization of existence. Its main types are consciousness and matter. A person is primarily a material and physical entity that establishes various connections with the outside world.
The sphere and condition for life is the material world. Therefore, knowledge of such an environment is needed by every person. People consciously build their lives, as they set themselves goals and objectives, conceptualize themselves and others. We strive to achieve ideals by choosing appropriate means for this. Based on consciousness, we creatively solve emerging problems.
Understanding of matter is explained by scientific methods. For this, certain sciences are developing, events of reality are explained. First of all, the concept and development of the material environment are devoted to research in the field of natural science. Practically in all philosophical views of antiquity there are views on the material world.
Different concepts are used to describe the material world in the process of studying the philosophical meaning of the category of being. It can also be “nature”, “matter”, “cosmos”, etc.
Until the mid-19th century, mechanical concepts that described matter predominated. Its inalienable attributes were invariably considered mechanical motion, indivisibility of the atom, inertness, independence from the properties of space, etc. Only matter was considered a component of material reality.
So, for example, DI Mendeleev believed that matter is a substance that fills space and has weight, mass. Over time, physical fields and their variable elements were also included in the definition of matter. Its other species have not yet been found.
Under the matter you need to understand the totality of things, physical fields, other entities that have the substrate of which they consist.
Consciousness
Considering what the philosophical meaning of being is, it is worth noting that one of its categories is consciousness. The problem of his understanding is the most difficult not only in philosophy, but also in other sciences. Much of the nature of this category is already known to modern science.
Knowledge not only of consciousness, but also of worldview, spirituality helps to find new ways for self-improvement. This is one of the fundamental categories of philosophy. Along with “matter”, “consciousness” acts as the ultimate foundation of being. The broader concepts that characterize it cannot be found.
Whether consciousness exists outside of man, only certain assumptions can be answered. The existence of the material world is not in doubt. The world and a person with his consciousness are self-sufficient concepts. They are the basis of materialism. Idealism, on the other hand, is a transcendental existence in order to show the emergence of the sensory world from being.
The category of being, its philosophical meaning and specificity are based on broad concepts of consciousness and matter. The first form is a mental reflection of the surrounding reality. Through consciousness, a person comprehends himself. This motivates people to certain activities, behavior. Consciousness is an ideal property of the human brain. This category cannot be perceived, weighed, measured. Any such operations can be performed only in relation to the material world.
, , . , , .
. , , . . , , , .
, , « ?». « ?». , , . .
, . . . , . . , . . . , . , . , .
, , . . , , , , .
, :
- .
- .
- .
Common approaches to the meaning of life
The philosophical meaning of the problems of being is considered from the perspective of the three approaches presented. They have something in common. This is a complex composition, which is clearly not possible to evaluate.
On the one hand, it can be noted that it is impossible to find an answer to the question about the meaning of being, thereby indicating the final desired result, for all people. It cannot be one for all. The meaning of being, built on a single model, would enslave a person. The general idea cannot be applied to everyone, since it comes from outside.
All approaches that are applied to the search for the meaning of life are characterized by solidarity and interest in working out a human person. So, the Austrian psychologist A. Adler argues that the essence, purpose of being cannot be determined for an individual individual. The meaning of life can only be determined in interaction with the outside world. This is a definite contribution to the common cause.