Conception of Dialectical Negation

The conception of negation of materialist dialectics on the basis of a dialectical understanding of affirmation and negation. It holds that negation is the self-negation through the intrinsic contradictory motion of things, i.e., it denies itself, and achieves self-movement and self-development through self-negation.

The basic contents of the conception of dialectical negation are: Firstly, negation is the self-negation of things and the result of the contradictions within things. Secondly, negation is a moment in the development of things; it is transformation of the old into the new, the leap from old quality to new quality. Only through negation can the old transform into the new. Thirdly, negation is the moment between the old and the new. The new arises from the old and grows up in the womb of the old, absorbing, retaining and reshaping the positive factors of the old as the basis for its own existence and development. The old and the new are connected through the moment of negation. Fourthly, the essence of dialectical negation is “sublation” (Aufhebung), i.e., the new both criticizes and inherits, overcomes and preserves the old.

Dialectical negation is the opportunity and the driving force of the development of things. The conception of dialectical negation is where the critical, revolutionary essence of dialectics lies. Therefore, it is a methodological principle for observing and analyzing all problems. This principle requires us to look at everything with an eye for development, the comprehension and affirmative recognition of the existing state of things, at the same time also, the recognition of the negation of that state, of its transient nature, of its inevitable breaking up. We should adopt a scientific analytical attitude towards everything, neither absolute affirmation nor absolute negation.