Sixteen Elements of Dialectics

On the basis of criticizing and reforming Hegel’s dialectics, Lenin summarized and stipulated the form and content of dialectics comprehensively and accurately. The sixteen elements of dialectics mainly contain the following theories: the objective reality of dialectics; the universal connection and eternal movement of things; the dialectical process of cognition; contradiction is the struggle and identity of opposites; the process of dialectical negation; the development of things is the unity of qualitative change and quantitative change; the process of development is the process of rising; the law of unity of opposites is the core of dialectics; etc.

Lenin attached great importance to the fundamental role of materialist dialectics as a great cognitive tool in the proletarian revolution. On the one hand, materialist dialectics can make us more clearly and thoroughly understand the true nature of imperialism; on the other hand, with the help of materialist dialectics, we can better adhere to and develop Marxist philosophy, so as to fight against all kinds of revisionism, opportunism and eclecticism. Therefore, in order to deepen and develop materialist dialectics, Lenin concentrated his main energy on the in-depth study and interpretation of it from 1914 to 1915. The exposition of dialectic elements is an important content in his “Conspectus of Hegel’s Book The Science of Logic” written by Lenin from September to December of 1914, and it is also an important part of “Philosophical Notebooks” written by Lenin.

In the “Conspectus of Hegel’s Book The Science of Logic”, Lenin pointed out that the so-called dialectics should include the mutual dependence of all concepts without exception, the mutual transition between all concepts without exception, and the identity of opposites between concepts. However, what is more important is that the concept is a reflection of reality. It is the dialectics of things that creates the dialectics of ideas, not the opposite. The so-called concept is just the eternal and endless approach of thinking to external objects. Therefore, the concept of practice must be introduced into epistemology, and the theoretical concept and practical process must be unified. On this basis, Lenin pointed out that the process of cognition should be a dialectical link. The elements of dialectics mainly include the following three aspects: (1) From the provisions of the concept itself; (2) The contradiction of things themselves (other things of their own), the contradictory forces and tendencies in all phenomena; (3) The combination of analysis and synthesis. Extending the above three points, we can get the sixteen elements of dialectics.They include: (1) The objectivity of investigation (not a case, not a branch, but the thing itself); (2) The total sum of the various relations of this thing to other things; (3) The development of this thing (or phenomenon), its own movement, its own life; (4) The tendency of internal contradiction in this thing; (5) things (phenomena, etc.) are the sum and unity of opposites; (6) The struggle or development of these opposites, contradictory tendencies, so fort; (7) The combination of analysis and synthesis—the decomposition of each part and the sum and total of all these parts; (8) The relationship between everything (phenomenon, etc.) is not only diverse, but also general and universal. Everything (phenomenon, process, etc.) is connected with everything else; (9) It is not only the unity of opposites, but also the transition of each stipulation, quality, feature, aspect and characteristic (from each other to its own opposite); (10)It reveals the infinite process of new aspects and relations; (11) The infinite process of deepening people’s understanding of things, phenomena and processes is from phenomenon to essence, from non profound essence to deeper essence; (12) from coexistence to causality and from one form of connection and interdependence to another more profound and general form; (13)Repeat some features and characteristics of the lower stage in the higher stage; (14) It seems to be a return to the old (negation of negation); (15) Content versus form and form versus content. Abandon the form and reform the content; (16) The transition from quantity to quality and from quality to quantity. (15 and 16 are examples of 9.)

As Marx and Engels said, dialectics is critical and revolutionary in essence. In Hegel’s view, Kant’s epistemological error lies in the separation of cognition and object, thus regarding the limited, relative, temporary and conditional nature of human’s cognition as subjectivism rather than as dialectics of ideas, thus making mistakes of absolutism and subjectivism. On the contrary, Hegel regards the process of cognition as a process of dialectical movement, which is composed of mutually negative and contradictory links. Hegel understood the finiteness of things or phenomena as a kind of transience and a process moving towards its opposite side, thus completely denying the view that all results of human thought and action have the final nature. In Lenin’s view, Hegel’s analysis of cognitive process actually contains the link of practice, that is, the link of transition to objective truth. Therefore, when Marx introduced the standard of practice into epistemology, it was directly close to Hegel. Undoubtedly, Hegel’s dialectics is extremely rich and profound, and has reached an unprecedented theoretical height. Lenin regarded Hegel’s dialectics as the greatest achievement of classical German philosophy. However, the biggest defect of Hegel’s dialectics lies in its idealistic nature. Hegel’s dialectics is closely connected with his idealist ideological system. In his view, the external world is just the process of thinking expansion. Therefore, the subject of dialectical development can only be absolute concept, and the so-called nature and history are just the results of the externalization of absolute concept. The consequence of this is to suffocate the essentially critical, revolutionary and living dialectics in the grave of idealism’s absolute concept.

After Marx and Engels, Lenin further reformed Hegel’s dialectics with materialism. In his opinion, only the external objective world is the real thing. The reason why human will and practice hinder the realization of one’s own purpose is to separate oneself from cognition and not to recognize that the external reality is the real objective thing. Therefore, we must combine cognition with practice and regard practice as the fundamental means to eliminate the subjectivity and one sidedness of cognition. Lenin pointed out that when the concepts of logic are still abstract and have abstract forms, they are subjective, but at the same time they also show things in themselves. Nature is not only concrete but also abstract. It is not only a phenomenon but also an essence. It is both a moment and a relationship. The concept of man is subjective in terms of its abstraction and separation, but it is objective in terms of whole, process, sum, trend and source.

Lenin’s exposition on the sixteen elements of dialectics not only enriches and develops the connotation of dialectics, but also summarizes the basic form and structure of dialectics, which is a great contribution made by Lenin to the development of Marxist philosophy.