Dialectical monism is an ontological position which holds that reality is ultimately a unified whole, distinguishing itself from monism by asserting that this whole necessarily expresses itself in dualistic terms. In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". For the dialectical monist, the essential unity is that of complementary polarities which, while opposed in the realm of experience and perception, are co-substantial in a transcendent sense.
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Principles
To establish its premises, dialectical monism posits a Universal Dialectic, which is seen as the fundamental principle of existence. Universal dialectic is an ontological idea which is closely related to the Taoist and Neo-Confucian concept of Taiji or "supreme ultimate In common usage existence is the world of which we are aware through our senses but in Philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning and is often contrasted with The concept is similar to that of the Taiji or 'Supreme Ultimate' in Taoism. Taiji (太極 is a state of being from Tao and Wuji. It is a state of absolute and of infinite potentiality Accordingly, advocates assert that Taoism as well as some forms of Buddhism (most notably Zen or Chan) are based on an approach consistent with (or identical to) dialectical monism. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan.
Ideas relating to progress or "teleological evolution" are important concepts in some interpretations of dialectical monism. Teleology ( Greek: telos: end purpose is the philosophical study of design and Purpose. Although historically this element has not always been present. It is important to note that this teleological tendency can significantly differ from other variants of teleology if dialectical monism is linked to materialism, because such an interpretation is a naturalistic progression rather than a result of design or consciousness. The Philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is Matter, and is considered a form of Physicalism. This article covers metaphysical naturalism as a worldview Naturalism (philosophy discusses methodological naturalism Intelligent Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the However, non-materalistic philosophies exist which also are dialectical monisms, such as Actual Idealism or kinds of solipsism. Actual Idealism was a form of Idealism developed by Giovanni Gentile that grew into a 'grounded' idealism contrasting the Transcendental Idealism of Solipsism ( Latin: solus, alone + ipse, self is the philosophical idea that "My mind is the only thing that I know exists
Some variants of dialectical monism adhere to the view that all conditions exist at all times in unity and that it is our consciousness which separates them into dualistic forms. Other views maintain that the nature of dialectical synthesis dictates that the flow of change will tend toward a "spiral-shaped progression" rather than a perpetual non-progressive (repetitive) circling of history. For these dialectical monists, this explains the fact of physical self-organization in Nature, as well as the observed tendency for human societies to achieve gradual "progress" over time. Self-organization is a process of Attraction and repulsion in which the internal organization of a System, normally an open system, increases
History
Dialectical monism has been mentioned in Western literature, although infrequently. Sartre used the term on at least one occasion (in an essay relating to Marxism) [1], although it is not clear that his interpretation was identical to that now advocated by modern adherents. Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (21 June 1905 &ndash 15 April 1980 commonly known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (ʒɑ̃ pol saʁtʁə was a French Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. If Sartre meant for it to imply Dialectical materialism, which is based on Marx's Historical materialism and therefore an a posteriori dialectic of gradual empirical and positivistic change, then it would contradict the modern usage of "Dialectical monism" as 'the parts of a dialectic representing a pre-existing unity' which presupposes Dialectical monism as an a priori dialectic. Dialectical materialism, according to many followers of Karl Marx 's thinking is the philosophical basis of Marxism. Historical materialism is the methodological approach to the study of society economics and history which was first articulated by Karl Marx ( 1818 - 1883 "A priori" redirects here For other uses see A priori. In Philosophy, empiricism is a theory of Knowledge which asserts that knowledge arises from Experience. Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience "A priori" redirects here For other uses see A priori. Possibly, Sartre used the term "Dialectical monism" rather to infer what he saw as absurd in the dogma of Marxist-Leninists non-dualistic interpretation of the dialectic, in which any oppositional view point was claimed to be non-dialectical rather than part of the dialectic itself. Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted For the most part, previous references to "dialectical monism" in Western traditions are considered to have limited significance. Though that is not to say dialectical monism, being a western term itself, does not show a multitude of examples in western philosophy by other names.
Although the specific term has never been used outside the West, advocates maintain that dialectical monism has a much greater presence in Eastern traditions. A wide number of Taoist sources are cited, especially those which relate to the Taiji or yin-yang concepts. Taiji (太極 is a state of being from Tao and Wuji. It is a state of absolute and of infinite potentiality In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang ( is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together intertwined and interdependent in the In addition, several Buddhist works are seen as containing strong elements of dialectical monism.
Buddhist influences
The Heart Sutra provides a notable expression of dialectical monism:
"Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra or Heart Sutra or Essence of Wisdom Sutra ( Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयसूत्र Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness. "
However, it is sometimes held that the Buddhist elements of dialectical monism are more accurately characterized as non-dualistic since they deny any fundamental sort of creative principle or "one thing," such as that posited by dialectical monism. Nondualism implies that things appear distinct while not being separate See the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness.
Nagarjuna, principal developer of the emptiness doctrine in Buddhism, had a perspective consistent with a broad dialectical monism:
"By and large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by a polarity, that of existence and non-existence. Acharya Nāgārjuna ( Telugu: నాగార్జున (c 150 - 250 CE) was an Indian philosopher the founder of the Madhyamaka But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. "
For Nagarjuna, the single essential substance of the world was "non-substance," or emptiness.
The Buddha himself expressed the core of dialectical monism thusly:
"Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two. "
Pre-Socratic Western influences
Heraclitus is a notable early exception to the Eastern monopoly on dialectical monism:
"By cosmic rule, as day yields night, so winter summer, war peace, plenty famine. Heraclitus of Ephesus ( Ancient Greek: &mdash grc-Latn ''Hērákleitos ho Ephésios'' English Heraclitus the Ephesian) (ca All things change. Fire penetrates the lump of myrrh, until the joining bodies die and rise again in smoke called incense. " (fragment 36)
"Men do not know how that which is drawn in different directions harmonises with itself. The harmonious structure of the world depends upon opposite tension like that of the bow and the lyre. "
- One must realize that war is shared and Conflict is Justice, and that all things come to pass in accordance with conflict.
-- Cited by Origen, Contra Celsum VI. Contra Celsus, or (in correct classical Latin Contra Celsum, is the title of a major work by the Church Father Origen of Alexandria, refuting the anti-Christian 28 (Diels-Kranz fragment 80)
- The way up and down are the same.
-- Cited by Hippolytus of Rome, Refutatio Omnium Haeresium IX. For places named after the saint see Saint-Hippolyte Saint Hippolytus of Rome (c The Refutation of All Heresies is a compendious Christian polemical work of the early Third century, now generally attributed to Hippolytus of Rome. 10. 4 (Diels-Kranz fragment 60)
- It is wise, not listening to me but to the report (λόγος), to agree that all things are one.
-- Cited by Hippolytus, Refutatio IX. 9. 1 (Diels-Kranz fragment 50)
Parallels in Aztec philosophy
In its article on Aztec philosophy, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [2] describes Aztec (Nahua) metaphysics as a form of dialectical monism:
Although essentially processive and devoid of any permanent order, the ceaseless becoming of the cosmos is nevertheless characterized by an overarching balance, rhythm, and regularity: one provided by and constituted by teotl. Aztec philosophy was the school of Philosophy developed by the Aztec Empire. . . Dialectical polar monism holds that: (1) the cosmos and its contents are substantively and formally identical with teotl; and (2) teotl presents itself primarily as the ceaseless, cyclical oscillation of polar yet complementary opposites.
Teotl's process presents itself in multiple aspects, preeminent among which is duality. This duality takes the form of the endless opposition of contrary yet mutually interdependent and mutually complementary polarities which divide, alternately dominate, and explain the diversity, movement, and momentary arrangement of the universe. These include: being and not-being, order and disorder, life and death, light and darkness, masculine and feminine, dry and wet, hot and cold, and active and passive. Life and death, for example, are mutually arising, interdependent, and complementary aspects of one and the same process.
Dao De Jing references
Chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing (from wikisource edition online) outlines a number-based cosmology which may be consistent with dialectical monism:
"The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things. 42 ( forty-two) is the Natural number following 41 and preceding 43. Wikisource is a Wikimedia project to build a free, Wiki Library of Source texts along with translations into any language All things leave behind them the Obscurity (out of which they have come), and go forward to embrace the Brightness (into which they have emerged), while they are harmonised by the Breath of Vacancy. "
"What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little virtue, to be as carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations which kings and princes use for themselves. So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased. "
Several other chapters (including Chapter 1) make reference to concepts consistent with dialectical monism. The theme of yin and yang unified in Taiji is found throughout the Dao De Jing. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang ( is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together intertwined and interdependent in the Taiji (太極 is a state of being from Tao and Wuji. It is a state of absolute and of infinite potentiality
Contemporary references
"Really, the fundamental, ultimate mystery - the only thing you need to know to understand the deepest metaphysical secrets - is this: that for every outside there is an inside and for every inside there is an outside, and although they are different, they go together. " -- Alan Watts
See also
Inter-disciplinary relation
External links
Alan Wilson Watts ( January 6, 1915 &ndash November 16, 1973) was a British Philosopher, Writer, speaker and Actual Idealism was a form of Idealism developed by Giovanni Gentile that grew into a 'grounded' idealism contrasting the Transcendental Idealism of Dialectical materialism, according to many followers of Karl Marx 's thinking is the philosophical basis of Marxism. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". Heraclitus of Ephesus ( Ancient Greek: &mdash grc-Latn ''Hērákleitos ho Ephésios'' English Heraclitus the Ephesian) (ca Nondualism implies that things appear distinct while not being separate Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Compare Moral relativism, Aesthetic relativism, Social constructionism, Cultural relativism, and Cognitive relativism. In Physics and Chemistry, wave–particle duality is the concept that all Matter and Energy exhibits both Wave -like andDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic