Phenomenon and essence? distinguish symptoms of diseases

The meaning of phenomenon and essence

Essence and phenomenon are a pair of categories that reveal the dialectical relationship between the internal essence and external manifestations of things.

Everything that exists in reality is the unity of phenomenon and essence. Phenomenon refers to the surface characteristics and external relations of things, and is the concrete expression of essence, that is, the sum of various personalities, particularities and concreteness of things. Phenomenon can be directly perceived by people through sensory organs, which has the characteristics of directness and visualization. The phenomenon of things is complicated. According to the different ways of expressing essence, phenomena can be divided into true images and false images. Reality refers to those phenomena that directly show the essence from the front, and illusion refers to those phenomena that show the essence from the opposite or distorted way. Illusion, like truth, exists objectively and is caused by various objective practical conditions, so it should be distinguished from subjective illusion. Essence is the internal connection of things and the fundamental nature that distinguishes one thing from other things. Essence is a category with the same degree as inevitability and regularity, but in comparison, the meaning of essence is broader. It is the synthesis of a series of inevitability and regularity contained in things.

2. Dialectical relationship between phenomenon and essence

The relationship between essence and phenomenon is unity of opposites.

First of all, essence and phenomenon are different and opposite. First, phenomena are the surface features and external connections of things, which are usually exposed to the outside of things and can be directly perceived by human senses; Essence is the fundamental nature and internal relations of things, which are often hidden inside things and can only be grasped by rational thinking. Second, the phenomenon of things is individual and diverse; The essence of things is the general and common things in similar phenomena. Third, the phenomenon of things is changeable and perishable; The essence of things is relatively calm and stable.

Secondly, essence and phenomenon are unified. On the one hand, essence cannot be separated from phenomenon, and essence is always the essence of phenomenon. The essence of everything should be expressed through such a phenomenon, and there is nothing that is divorced from the essence of the phenomenon. On the other hand, phenomena cannot be divorced from essence, which determines phenomena and is the basis of phenomena. Any phenomenon shows its essence from a certain aspect, the truth directly shows its essence from the front, and the illusion distorts its essence from the back. The phenomenon of being divorced from the essence does not exist either.

3. The methodological significance of the dialectical relationship between phenomenon and essence

The principle of dialectical relationship between phenomenon and essence in materialist dialectics is of great methodological significance to our practical activities.

First, the unity of opposites between phenomenon and essence makes scientific research necessary and possible. The opposition between phenomenon and essence determines the necessity of scientific research. "If the manifestation of things and the essence of things are directly integrated, all science will become redundant." [Illustration] The unity of phenomenon and essence determines the possibility of scientific research. Essence is always expressed through phenomena, and phenomena always show essence. Therefore, people can discover the essence of things through the study of phenomena and reach a scientific understanding.

Second, the unity of phenomenon and essence shows that there is no pure essence. To grasp the essence of things, we should start with the phenomenon and look at the essence only through the phenomenon. In practice, we should observe and understand a large number of vivid and concrete phenomena, have rich and informative perceptual materials, distinguish real images from virtual images, follow correct analysis methods, and abstract the essence of things from phenomena.

Third, in the process of looking at the essence through phenomena, we should pay attention to preventing two tendencies: empiricism and rationalism. These two tendencies are the products of the dialectical relationship between separation phenomenon and essence, so we should pay special attention to prevent them.