The main property of matter is motion, as a way of being. It becomes possible only in the presence of this action, manifesting itself through it. In the world, in the Universe, everything is subject to movement: objects, systems, phenomena. And at the same time, both concepts “matter” and “motion” are abstraction concepts, since they do not exist by themselves, there is a movement of material objects, just as matter does not exist without it.
What is movement
We will briefly consider motion as a way of the existence of matter. In philosophy, the concepts of “motion” and “matter” are devoted to many works by prominent thinkers. What can be called a movement? Any change in the state of an object, system. It can take any form from simple movement to the social process in society.
The movement is absolute, as everything moves. If, in our opinion, the body is at rest, then this does not mean that the movement is stopped completely, it goes into internal processes. It continues to move along with the Earth, the Solar system, the Galaxy. The fact that motion and matter are inextricable was recognized by the ancient Greek materialist philosophers.
Metaphysical philosophers understood movement from the point of view of mechanics. To the question of what is the beginning of the movement, the answer was unequivocal, it comes from external circumstances. If the movement is transmitted from one object to another, then what was the beginning. What was the first movement? According to Newton, this was the first impulse, which can be considered as Divine power.
The concept of movement in dialectical materialism
The concept in the philosophy of motion, as a way of existence of matter, was introduced by scientists who hold the views of dialectical materialism. They are based on the following:
• An inherent property of the existence of matter is movement. Without it, the existence of matter is impossible. If we imagine matter without movement, then we will see a frozen static mass - a chaotic unchanging pile up. But everything in the world is changing, assuming various forms and conditions. This is facilitated by movement.
• Movement is any change in the universe.
• Movement is a contradiction, the beginning of its materialists call the unity of opposites.
Let's consider it in more detail.
Start of movement
Motion is the way of existence of matter. Materialism saw the reason for the beginning of movement within the body, system, phenomenon, it was a certain contradictoriness, for example, constancy and variability, attraction and repulsion, old and new, simple and complex, and so on. As a result of the unity of contradictions within matter, activity arises, which is the reason for the beginning of motion. In other words, in the single whole existing within matter, the process of separation into opposites takes place, after which the struggle between them begins.
Movement, according to dialectical materialism, is the result of an internal activity that generates the unity of opposites, as a result of which self-movement, that is, primary movement, occurs. According to dialectics, everything in the Universe exists in connection with each other, it is from this that a logical conclusion about self-movement can be made.
Movement as a way of being. Sustainability and volatility
In dialectics, stability and variability are a pair of opposites that determine movement. What is sustainability? This is the preservation of certain properties, relationships and states of certain material systems. Hence it should be assumed that variability is a change in properties, which leads to the creation of new material systems.
The movement contains both opposites that do not occur in their pure form, but exist interconnected. For example, the variability of movement is obvious, it is repeated, which in itself serves as a certain kind of constancy. It is impossible to talk about stability or variability as a source of movement. Since their unity, interaction and, as the action of opposites, mutual exclusion is movement. In other words, briefly, motion, as a way of existence of matter, consists in the struggle of opposites.
The meaning of opposites: stability and variability, as a means of movement is great. For example, if we take evolutionary processes in nature, then there is clearly variability that goes from the lowest to the highest. But imagining evolution without sustainability is simply impossible. Its form here will be consolidation of the gained experience, transformations in the form of information accumulated, fixed and transmitted to the next generations. This is called heredity.
Motion characteristics
Materialist dialectics passes through a physical and metaphysical understanding of motion as mechanical, that is, the simple movement of objects in space relative to each other, in which the process of movement occurs as if by itself in a closed circle. She looks at movements from the point of view of materialism and believes that movement can be described as:
• Material. Motion can only be material, because without matter it is impossible.
• Absolute. As mentioned above, absolutely everything moves. Any existence implies a change, which is movement.
• Relative. The movement of one object occurs relative to another. Even when an object (matter) is in absolute rest relative to some bodies, it moves relative to others.
• Contradictory. Since we consider motion as a way of the existence of matter, the reason for its onset is inconsistency. In every object, substance, certain changes constantly occur. From this point of view, the subject, remaining the same, every moment changes, it, as a result of changes in it, is already different. Only this can explain the diversity of the world.
Dormancy
From the point of view of inconsistency, if there is movement, then another state must exist. And it is, it is called peace, which is not reality, located next to the movement. It can not be attributed to the antipodes. This is movement, as a way of existence of matter. By peace it is necessary to understand the moment of stability, absence of changes, balance, temporary unity of opposites.
Movement, as a way of being, is a constant change, and peace is the preservation of the state of stability of things and the condition of their existence. Let's imagine the absence of a state of rest. Endless movement would turn everything into chaos. And only a state of rest gives qualitatively distinguishable objects, which, are in it, exist for a certain time in a certain place. In this case, it is necessary to emphasize the main thing, that it is absolutely movement, but relative peace.
Three types of movement
Movement and development, as a way of existence of matter, can be traced in animate and inanimate nature, in society in the form of changes. But it is not a homogeneous process. Even if we consider a person, we will notice changes of various types in him. First, a person is born, and changes in development occur. Then gradually changes begin to fade away, aging. So what are the types of movement:
• Ascending - from simple to complex. Development.
• In a descending line - from complex to simple. Aging.
• In a straight line. With him there are no downward or upward movements. A short time lasts. After its completion, movement through any of the previously mentioned types is possible.
All these changes are relative to other items.
Variety of forms of movement
Dialectics considers the diversity of the motion of matter and its basic forms, transitions from one to another. Each of them has different carriers (matter), each of them has its own laws that work at a certain level. Simple forms of movement form more complex ones, while in total they make up a qualitatively new one.
The classification of the forms of movement and, together with them, the sciences, the laws of which they obey, was first developed by Friedrich Engels. He defined them as the main five forms that are well known. It is mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, social. All of them are interconnected, they include simpler forms of movement. In turn, they also form even more complex forms.
Even the simplest form of motion - mechanical, according to Engels, consists of many movements, such as rectilinear, curvilinear, chaotic, accelerated, and so on. The most difficult form is social.
Social form movement
Why is this form, with which thinking is associated, considered the most complex? This is due to the carrier - social matter, which is the most complex. That it includes all the changes occurring in the human body. An example is the pumping of blood through the vessels in the human body - a human heart takes part in this, which performs mechanical work, but it is not a mechanism, since its work is subject to the organs of the nervous system. The main types of human life, such as labor, social and others, cause changes in demography, ethnic groups, the development of productive forces and so on. They occur in accordance with the laws of motion, which operate at the social level.
Space and time as forms of movement
Space and time is an abstraction, they do not exist, since in principle they cannot exist in reality, they exist only in our head and exist only as empty forms. It is ironic to realize this, but for two thousand years, philosopher scientists have worked with empty forms. In their book Anti-Dühring, Marx and Engels defined space and time as characteristics and signs of movement.
Discovery of new forms of movement
But as life has shown, the classification of forms of movement in our time has undergone significant changes. The development of science leads to the discovery and study of new forms of movement. But still, the study of motion and development as ways of existence of matter remains the most important. For example, in our time the question arose of the study of new forms: geological, cosmological, quantum-mechanical, and so on. Their essence lies in the specificity of the media. This matter is studied by scientists. Knowledge of various forms of movement, not yet known a few decades ago, allows us to conclude that this is not the end. Nature is ready to present man with many forms of motion, matter.