Being determines consciousness

Being determines consciousness ... Many people have heard this expression. It was first used in the works of Karl Marx. However, even before this philosopher, Hegel had similar ideas. Let's try to understand the essence of this expression.

Every person is conditioned to some extent. The child is greatly influenced by his environment. So the basic principles, opinions, judgments, life attitudes are instilled. It is worth remembering that a person can not be absolutely autonomous. Public being and public consciousness have a huge impact on everyone's life. Man largely depends on the environment in which he exists. In the aggregate, all the material aspects of life (environment, work, etc.) constitute the being of the individual. Human consciousness is the spiritual side of existence, that is, thoughts, beliefs, beliefs, principles, etc.

The expression "being determines consciousness" implies that the individual's living conditions directly influence his thinking. Undoubtedly, a millionaire and a person without a fixed place of residence think differently. The vast majority of people are unable to rise above the characteristics of their existence and to look at life objectively. With this task the philosophers most successfully cope.

Confirmation of the thesis "being determines consciousness" can easily be found in our modern world. For example, for some countries in the third world it is perfectly normal to marry a girl who has not reached the age of sixteen. This fact is unacceptable for most developed countries.

In the past centuries slavery was widespread everywhere. This fact was considered absolutely normal and everyday. For a modern man, the use of slaves as a labor force seems wild.

The converse is also true. Man's consciousness determines his being. That is, the development of the individual in the material aspects depends on how the individual thinks, what priorities and goals he sets himself. The reverse thesis is easily proved on simple historical examples. If only being determined consciousness, humanity would stop in its development. There were no global changes in the world. However, we see a different picture. With the growth of the consciousness of mankind, the world changes and transforms. The standard of living of people increases, more respect is shown to the interests of the individual, tolerance and tolerance become important qualities of the individual.

However, despite all the positive changes in the world, there still exist certain problems of being. The life of man, relative to the past and future of the whole earth, is negligibly short. But one way or another, the prevailing majority of personalities had to think about the further development of the surrounding world and about its current problems. The questions facing philosophers trying to comprehend being are numerous and varied. However, the fact that people think about such abstract problems allows one to say that the person's consciousness does not cease to change. And this, according to the reverse thesis, stated above, leads to the transformation of already existing being.

Summing up, you can see that the expression "being determines consciousness" indicates that the person's thinking is subjective enough. It does not stand "above" the surrounding reality, but is directly dependent on it. However, the person's consciousness is constantly evolving, trying to rise "above" being, and this leads to changes throughout the world. Most often, such transformations are evolutionary, not revolutionary. That is, they occur slowly, but their entry into the everyday life of a person is practically irreversible.