The Dialectical Negativity

Negativity is the essence of dialectics, however if we examine its development from contemporary philosophy through modern and Marx’s philosophy, we’ll see that there are important changes in the range of criticism, the critic of the object and the forms of criticism. Therefore, thinker’s understandings of the negativity are quite different. The issue of negativity attracted a wide range of attention and heated discussion, especially after the publishing of Adorno’s Dialectics of Negativity. So it is much worth to analyze the negativity of dialectics from the very beginning of this issue. Meanwhile, the exploration of Hegel’s and Marx’s idea about negativity is also important for the development of dialectic in contemporary times.In the horizon of traditional metaphysics, the development of dialectics experienced three stages: ancient Greece dialectics, Kant’s transcendental dialectics, Hegel’s conceptual dialectics. In the process of the development, the negativity transformed from the form of subjective, unintentional dialectic of ancient Greece time into the form of Kant’s antinomy, and eventually became the Hegel’s dialectical negativity. Till times of Hegel, dialectics and metaphysics became a unity, and the traditional theory of dialectics is completed.Hegel’s dialectics devotes to the construction of metaphysical truth. The negation of Kant’s dialectic exists in external reflection, it can’t transcend the contradictory state of thinking, so, Hegel has to criticize and has to transcend Kant’s philosophy. After great efforts of exploration, Hegel begins a new philosophizing- speculative thinking. And based on this kind of thinking, Hegel mixes up the intellectual thinking and dialectical thinking into a segment of speculative thinking. He develops the negativity of antinomy into a kind of dialectical negation, and he constructs the speculative logic. Speculative logic is the dialectics of concept, embodying three segments: position- negation- negation of negation, which developed negativity into inherent negativity and then deemed it as middle stage of dialectics. It solved the problems of relationship between negativity and mediation; the abandon of negativity and position. Hence, negation was established as “driving principle” and “creative principle”, so negation became the important link to the truth. The negation of intermediary was represented inherent negation and inherent transcendence of concept itself. Negativity itself is presented in a higher stage of concept. This is a movement of the concept of dialectical negativity from abstract identity into specific identity. As a result, the dual logic of “how the knowledge is possible” and “how the freedom is possible” could be realized in metaphysics fields.The negativity of dialectics of Hegel is limited by the strict sense of metaphysics. As a result, it mainly focuses on the negating or criticizing on concept. However, Hegel’s dialectics is not only a pure logical deduction but also the unification of logic and historicity in form of a moving concept. Hegel negates and criticizes the inner dilemma of civil ethics and the split of civil society by means of negativity of dialectics. And finally by the mean of speculation, he resolved the problem, the contradiction and conflict compromised within the ethic entity- country. While the problem domain which was based on the platform of the civil society only represents the “the most realistic living conditions” in a “the most abstract way”, it does not form a dialectics theory beyond the limitation of “abstract” capital which stifled the negation of Hegel’s dialectics. By this way, Hegel’s dialectical negativity is ultimately canceled.In order to resolve the unsettled question of splitting society that is proposed by Hegel, Marx remold Hegel’s idea of negativity of dialectics. He transforms the negative domain from Hegel’s metaphysics into the realistic world, and then he develops the negativity of dialectics into a revolutionary theory which is featured as the “world changing” revolutionary dialectics, and is embodied as a dual criticism of philosophy and political economics. The accomplishment of Marxist philosophy is a mark of the end of metaphysics. It sets up a new philosophy based on the explanation of history. Marxism philosophy leads the negativity of dialectics to a new perspective- criticism on ontology of “realistic history” of capitalism, it claims that the criticism on capitalism is the fundamental principle of negativity of dialectics. Based on this principle, he criticizes and reveals the governing of capitalistic logical comprehensively, thoroughly. Marx also opens up a realistic path for the liberation and freedom of mankind.Modern philosophy holds complicate attitudes toward the issue of dialectics. Except with some schools who deny the dialectics totally, most modern philosophy theories have made positive exploration on dialectics. Based on exploration on the contradiction of social life, they expand areas of the negativity of dialectics a lot. Through their critical analysis of the metaphysics and dialectics advocated by Hegel, modern philosophers attempt to set up a dialectic theory which involved heterogeneity and diversity featured as “non-identity”. Modern philosophy- exploration on dialectics mainly could be divided into two trends: one is represented by Western Marxism and Post- Marxism, they reinterpret and reconstruct Marxism dialectics, and they insist on the negative perspective of the criticizing on capitalism. The other trend is represented by “post-metaphysics”, they attempt to reanalyze the reason, and try to set up a new rational concept which transcend both the absolutism and relativism. They continue Hegel’s discussion of how to unify the individual principle and social principle, and try to set up a universal principle which involves heterogeneity and diversity in the pattern of mutually recognized explanation of dialectics.The most important identity of Marx’s dialectics is “finding a new world by the way of criticizing on the old world.” Especially in today’s world, in the development of dialectics theory, a fundamental dimension could not be missed, namely the principle of critics on capital. This is the fundamental way to achieve human freedom and liberation, and it is also the identity of Marx’s negativity of dialectics. Therefore, on the bottom the principle of critique on capital of Marx’s dialectics is our theoretical premise, to explore the perspective of study on dialectics, this principle is of important significance.