The devil is in the details

The dialectical relationship between phenomenon and essence (1) Phenomenon and essence are opposites. There is a clear difference between appearance and essence. Manifestation is the external aspect of things, which is superficial, changeable and colorful; Essence is the inner aspect of things, which is deep, relatively stable, profound and simple. Phenomenon is thus directly known, while essence is only indirectly known. (2) Phenomenon and essence are unified. 1. The two are interdependent. Phenomena are essential phenomena, and essence is the essence of phenomena. That is to say, the essence can only be expressed through the phenomenon, the phenomenon can only be the manifestation of the essence, and between them is the relationship between the manifestation and the manifestation. Neither side can exist without the other, and the actual existence is always the unity of opposites between phenomena and essence. 2. The two contain each other, and in fact they contain each other. It is very obvious that essence lies in phenomenon, for phenomenon is the whole, and essence is a part of phenomenon, certainly a fundamental part. In turn, essence also contains phenomena, for phenomena, in spite of their variety and complexity, are determined by essence and are already implicitly contained in it. 3. Phenomenon and essence can be transformed into each other. The phenomenon of essential change should be understood as the appearance of essence as phenomenon. A specific person is undoubtedly the unity of essence and phenomenon, but its essence is also constantly manifested, that is, constantly transformed into phenomenon. The mutual transformation of phenomenon and essence is the objective basis for the mutual transformation of perceptual knowledge and rational knowledge. (3) Distinction between truth and illusion, illusion and illusion The truth is a phenomenon that expresses the essence from the positive side. Hometown is a false phenomenon, it is also a manifestation of the essence, but it is a negative manifestation of the essence under certain conditions. Illusion is caused by the error of people's senses and belongs to the subjective category. Illusion is caused by the conditions of objective existence. It is a kind of phenomenon and belongs to the objective category. Phenomenon and essence have important methodological significance to category as a form of thinking. (1) The opposition between phenomenon and essence illustrates the necessity of scientific research; The unity of phenomenon and essence determines the possibility of scientific research. The task of scientific research is to understand the essence through the phenomenon. Only through the study of a large number of phenomena can people discover the essence of things and achieve scientific understanding. If there is only opposition but no unity between the two, then all scientific research and understanding will be in vain. (2) In practice, we should pay attention to the phenomenon as the guide of entry, through the phenomenon to understand the nature of things. From appearance to essence is the deepening of knowledge, but not the termination of knowledge. From the phenomenon to the essence, after recognizing the regularity of things to a certain extent, we must continue to study the phenomena that have not been studied or have not been deeply studied under this understanding, so as to supplement, enrich and deepen our understanding of the essence of things. This is a cyclical process of cognition from phenomenon to essence and from essence to phenomenon. (3) Attention should be paid to Preventing the Emergence of Empiricism and Rationalism (dogmatism) Empiricism and rationalism in the history of philosophy are conscious systems of thought based on the phenomenon and essence of separation. Empiricism negates the transformation from perceptual cognition to rational cognition, which is the transformation from phenomenon to essence. Rationalism denies the transformation from rational cognition to perceptual cognition, which is the transformation from essence to phenomenon. Empiricism and dogmatism in real life do not have conscious ideological system, they only show one-sidedness in the process of actual cognition, but the basis of their cognition is also the dialectical unity of separation phenomenon and essence.