Reflection and
Transcendentalism
Reflection theory and
transcendentalism are two opposing lines in epistemology. Reflection theory is
a materialist route from matter to feeling and thought. It holds that knowledge
is essentially the reflection of human brain to objective things, which are
primary and cognition is secondary. The empiricism is the idealist line of
thinking and feeling things, which holds that knowledge is inherent or
subjective in the human brain, and that knowledge and
feeling constitute the object instead of reflecting it.
The Theory of Active
Reflection
Marxist epistemology is
the theory of active reflection. He insisted on the viewpoint of practice and
dialectics and held that knowledge is essentially the subject's reflection of
the object on the basis of practice and the result of the subject's active
exploration into the mystery of the object by transforming the object in
practice, rather than a passive and mechanical reflection as the old
materialism thought. The Marxist epistemology transformed the old materialist theory
of mechanical reflection, overcame the mechanism and intuitiveness of the old
materialist epistemology, and developed the theory of reflection into the
theory of dynamic reflection.
Rational factors and
irrational factors
The process of cognition
is the unity of rational and irrational factors. Rational factor is mainly
cognitive consciousness, including reason, thinking, logic and other factors.
Rational factor is the main component of human cognitive ability and plays a
leading role in the process of cognition. Only through rational thinking can
people grasp the nature and laws of things.
Irrational factors are mental factors that are
not rational or cognitive, including emotion, will, desire, fantasy,
imagination, speculation, insight, intuition, inspiration and so on. Irrational
factors can play both positive and negative roles in the process of cognition.
The role of irrational factors in cognition cannot be separated from rational
factors. Irrationalism exaggerates the role of irrational factors, belittle or
even deny the role of rationality, which is a wrong tendency.
Perceptual knowledge and
rational knowledge
On the basis of practice,
perceptual knowledge is the knowledge of surface phenomena and external
relations of things obtained through the contact between senses and objective
things. Rational knowledge is the understanding of the essence or inner
connection of things obtained through thinking processing on the basis of
perceptual experience materials. They are different in nature, content, form
and characteristics, but they are interrelated, interdependent and
interpenetrating. Rational knowledge is based on perceptual knowledge;
Perceptual knowledge needs to rise to rational knowledge. If they are
separated, they will lead to empiricism and rationalism, empiricism and
dogmatism.
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Cite this Article: Zhou M. (2021). The popularization of common philosophy - 5. Greener
Journal of Philosophy and Public Affairs, 2(1): 9-10.
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