CREATION OR CHEMICAL REACTION? We can better understand these if we have taken our chemistry subject seriously. The writer of the book of Genesis was not a scientist neither he was educated in natural sciences particularly on the subject of cosmology. Moses as claimed to be as the writer of the book of Genesis was educated in the school of thoughts at the ancient Egypt [Acts 7:22]. The majority of ancient Egyptian population was poor and illiterate but the wealthy minority which consisted of nobility and priesthood was greatly interested in the events and occurrences in their environment. Observing, describing and studying of natural events led to development of ancient Egyptian science which based on principles of simplicity and usability. Ancient Egyptian engineers, constructers, architects, medicine practitioners, teachers and astronomers were not particularly interested in causes of certain events which were commonly attributed to the supernatural powers. Ancient Egyptians were primarily practical and less theoretical. Ancient Egyptians greatly depended on annual Nile floods which means they had to measure the arable land, set the borders between land owners each year to prevent conflicts. Construction of magnificent temples and palaces also required precise plans as well as some mathematical knowledge. Besides measuring ancient Egyptians also had to use other basic mathematical disciplines such as counting and calculation for economical purposes. If they wanted to trade they had to learn to weight, while measuring, counting and calculating were essential for collecting taxes. Ancient Egyptians knew geometric bodies and to calculate surface and volume of some of them what clearly reveals the stunning precision in pyramid building. They used decimal system and had separate symbols for 10, 100, 1000, etc. as well as arithmetic operations: addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (x) and division (/). Ancient Egyptians also came very close to the numerical value of mathematical constant Pi (π). Annual Nile inundation also greatly influenced both time measuring and astronomy in ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian calendar had 365 days and 12 months with 30 days, while 5 extra days at the end of the years were added as birthdays of chief gods. The basis for the ancient Egyptian calendar (which is pretty much the same than our contemporary calendar) was annual Nile flooding - the time from one to another Nile flooding was equivalent to one year. Thus ancient Egyptian celebrated new year in the middle of September when flooding reached its height. Besides the new year’s day which is according to today’s most widely spread Gregorian calendar on January 1, ancient Egyptian calendar also distinguished itself from contemporary calendar for having only three seasons: akhet (Flooding), peret (Growth-Winter) and shemu (Harvest-Sumer). Annual Nile flooding also greatly impacted the development of astronomy in ancient Egypt - flooding started every year in midd June at the time of summer solstice when Sirius, the brightest star of the Canis Major became visible just before sunrise. The priest observed celestial bodies and distinguished 36 stars and five planets. Ancient Egyptians used sundials during daytime, and water or sand clocks at the night for measuring of time. Ancient Egyptians learned the basics of human anatomy, internal organs and their functions as well as of causes of some diseases through process of mummification. Diseases, illnesses, injuries and other health problems were treated with remedies which based on healing properties of various herbs and minerals and were made according to written prescriptions. Imhotep was the most famous ancient Egyptian physician and was raised to divine status after his death for his achievements in medicine and worshiped as god of medicine and healing. Besides his contribution to medicine, Imhotep is also known as the architect of the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara. Ancient Egyptian physicians treated joint dislocations, bone fractures and performed surgeries on many different areas of the body including the skull and were also known as good gynecologists. However, ancient Egyptian medicine was also greatly influenced by religion and magic. Various magic objects and amulets, rituals and ceremonies were performed on an ill person to expel evil spirits and demons which were responsible for illness and pain. Treatment of health problems and preparation of remedies in ancient Egypt was exclusively in domain of priests. It was also in Egypt where Moses learned formal writing because it was in ancient Egypt that formal writing was discovered. Adam and Eve could not write the book of Genesis for simple reason that formal writing was not discovered during their times. The above description of ancient Egypt contributed to Moses understanding of the world and therefore, we can say that the study about cosmology was not thoroughly and comprehensively studied during Moses education in Egypt, the very reason why he did not write the book of Genesis 1 in scientific terms with scientific explanations. Let me now begin my analysis of whether the existence of mother nature was a product of Creation or Chemical Reaction? Or was it Creation first of some major elements then followed by Chemical Reaction? Before there was day and night, God created the heavens and earth. The earth was formless and empty and darkness was over the surface of the deep [Gen. 1:1- it says: In the beginning... this statement indicates time and space, and energy and matter, w/c are vital factors for the existence and progression of life and some other things]. How the earth was formed? The Bible states this: When the dust becomes hard and the clouds of earth stick together [Job 28:38]- A model of star and planet formation in which a nebula contracts under the force of gravity, eventually flattening into a spinning disk with a central bulge. A protostar forms at the nebulas center. As matter condenses around the protostar in the bulge, planets are formed from the spinning matter in the disk. This theory is widely accepted to account for the formation of stars and planetary systems such as ours. The first version of the nebular hypothesis was proposed in 1755 by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and modified in 1796 by Pierre Laplace. The nebula that according to this hypothesis condensed to form the solar system is called the solar nebula. Since the Bible states that in the beginning... indicates therefore time and space, we can now arrive in a certain assumption that there is a time process that took place and not that everything came into existence outside the laws of time/motion and space. The Bible is silent about how many days, years and billions of years this creation of the heavens and earth [universe, the solar system] took place but science has provided us their findings that the earth was now billions of years old contrary to what others believed that that entire creations took place in just 6 days and therefore, they assumed that the earth now is only 6,000 years old. The following findings will contradict the claims of those who said that the earth is only 6,000 years old: 1. Science discovered that the earth was approximately 4.5 billion years old 2. The oldelst human fossel found was about 3.3 million years old- Fossil hunters have unearthed the fossil skeleton of a child who died 3.3 million years ago, marking the first time scientists have discovered the nearly complete remains of a child of an ancient human ancestor. 3. A diamond is made in a billion of years following its natural process- Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 mi) in the Earth mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth). Diamonds are brought close to the Earth surface through deep volcanic eruptions by a magma, which cools into igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. Diamonds can also be produced synthetically in a high-pressure high-temperature process which approximately simulates the conditions in the Earth mantle. The next thing that I will bring into our understanding is how things came into existence and how chemical reaction causes some other things to exist. God did not make water. Water is a compound of the two hydrogen and one o oxygen thats why it is called compound. Hydrogen is an element, same true with oxygen. When two elements are combined, a compound is formed [chemical reaction]. At the atmosphere, we can find five gases: nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, argon, and carbon dioxide. Several other compounds also are present. Although this CRC table does not list water vapor, air can contain as much as 5% water vapor, more commonly ranging from 1-3%. The 1-5% range places water vapor as the third most common gas (which alters the other percentages accordingly). 99.998% of air consists of only four compounds. Sodium+Chlroine=Salt Oxygen+Hydrogen=Water Iron+Oxygen=Rust or Tarnish Carbon+Oxygen+Hydrogen=Sugar Iron+Chromium+Nickel+Carbon=Steel The examples below are caused by chemical reactions: 1. In Gen. 1:3-5 God separated the light from darkness. You think the separation merely a chemical reaction because of the presence of light towards the earth? Why do we have day and night? We have day and night because the Earth rotates around the sun and without the sun there will be no day and night. Because of the tilt of the earth, not every place on earth gets light every day. Also, some places have extremely short days. As the earth revolves around the sun, the place where light shines the brightest changes. This motion gives us the different seasons. For instance, the poles receive less light than does the equator because of the angle that the land around the poles receive the sun’s light. When the north pole is tilted toward the sun, the northern hemisphere is presented to the sun at a greater angle than the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere gets warmer. When this happens, the northern hemisphere gets summer while the southern hemisphere gets winter. When the south pole is tilted toward the sun, the two seasons reverse hemispheres. Without the sun, there will be no dayIt spins on its axis, which is an imaginary line passing through the North and South Poles. The Earth spins slowly all the time, but we dont feel any movement because it turns smoothly and at the same speed. How long does it take the Earth to turn around? The Earth takes a whole day (24 hours) to makea complete turn. Why is the Sun in the sky at some times and not at other times? At any time half of the Earth faces the sun. This part has day. The other half of the Earth faces away from the Sun. It receives no light. It is dark and has night. The sun is the source of light for day. Why does the sun seem to move across the sky? The Sun does not move. It seems to move across the sky starting in the east in the morning, moving toward the south at noon, and then toward the west as the day ends. It is the Earth turning that makes it seem as though the Sun is moving. The Effect of the Moon The moon has a noticeable effect on the earth in the form of tides, but it also affects the motion and orbit of the earth. The moon does not orbit the center of the earth, rather, they both revolve around the center of their masses called the barycenter. 2. In Gen. 1:6-7 God separated the waters from below and above? You think the separation was merely a chemical reaction because of the presence of light? CHANGE IS A PRODUCT OF COMBINATION RESULTING INTO CHEMICAL REACTION In mathematics, when number 1 [quantitative] is added to number 2 [quantitative] the answer will not be the same as the former [or number 1] neither the later [number 2] but it will be number 3 [quantitative]. This change happens when two opposites are combined [interpenetrated]. We are speaking here of a “quantitative change”. In chemistry, when we mix/combine hydrogen with oxygen, it will no longer be purely hydrogen neither purely oxygen but it will produce a different composition [water]. Two opposing elements [qualitative] penetrating will result into something different. In this case, we have a “qualitative change”. How much [quantitative] hydrogen and oxygen in a water [quality]? Well, the formula for water is H2O, which means there is two hydrogen atoms for every one oxygen atom. If this doesnt answer your question, then maybe youre looking for percentages. To do this you need the atomic masses of the elements involved and the sum of those masses to find the molecular mass of water. Hydrogen = 1.0 × 2 atoms = 2.0 grams Oxygen = 16.0 grams ---------------------------------- Water = 18.0 grams To find the percentage of each element in water, take the mass and divide it by the total mass. 2.00 grams ÷ 18.0 grams = .111 = 11.1% water is hydrogen 16.0 grams ÷ 18.0 grams = .889 = 88.9% water is oxygen Again, water is compound product of two elements mixed together resulting into chemical change/reaction. Therefore, through the mixing of two or more elements, a new thing is formed. The Clouds are formed through combination of many factors and their opposites What are clouds? A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air. How are clouds formed? All air contains water, but near the ground it is usually in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air cant hold as much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible cloud. Why are clouds white? Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun. Light is made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all the colors the exact same amount so they look white. Why do clouds turn gray? Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, usually a mixture of both. The water and ice scatter all light, making clouds appear white. If the clouds get thick enough or high enough all the light above does not make it through, hence the gray or dark look. Also, if there are lots of other clouds around, their shadow can add to the gray or multicolored gray appearance. With extreme weather, survival kits are a necessity for your family. By taking special precautions and checking for hazards before a disaster strikes, youll be much more likely to stay safe. Why do clouds float? A cloud is made up of liquid water droplets. A cloud forms when air is heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the saturation point and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as the cloud and the air that its made of is warmer than the outside air around it, it floats! Change therefore is a product of contradiction of opposites coming together, penetrating, and inter-acting each other. There will be no quantitative and qualitative change that will take place if the two opposites will not confront/penetrate each other. 3. In Gen. 1:9-13 God separated the water from dry land? You think that separation was merely a chemical reaction because of the presence of light, water and land? 4. In Gen. 1:11-13 God causes the land to produce vegetation. Biological and geological change has been constantly occurring on our planet since the time of its formation. The process of plate tectonics has played a major role in the shaping of Earths oceans and continents, as well as the life they harbor. The biosphere, in turn, has had a significant effect on the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, such as the formation of the ozone layer, the proliferation of oxygen, and the creation of soil. Though humans are unable to perceive it due to their relatively brief life spans, this change is ongoing and will continue for the next few billion years. One of the reasons for interest in the early atmosphere and ocean is that they form the conditions under which life first arose. There are a lot of models, but little consensus, on how life emerged from non-living chemicals; chemical systems that have been created in the laboratory still fall well short of the minimum complexity for a living organism. The first step in the emergence of life may have been chemical reactions that produced many of the simpler organic compounds, including nucleobases and amino acids, that are the building blocks of life. An experiment in 1953 by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey showed that such molecules could form in an atmosphere of water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen with the aid of sparks to mimic the effect of lightning. Although the atmospheric composition was likely different from the composition used by Miller and Urey, later experiments with more realistic compositions also managed to synthesize organic molecules. Recent computer simulations have even shown that extraterrestrial organic molecules could have formed in the protoplanetary disk before the formation of the Earth. The next stage of complexity could have been reached from at least three possible starting points: self-replication, an organisms ability to produce offspring that are very similar to itself; metabolism, its ability to feed and repair itself; and external cell membranes, which allow food to enter and waste products to leave, but exclude unwanted substances. You think that this was merely a chemical reaction? 5. In Gen. 1:20-25 God causes the water teem with living creatures and the land produce living creatures. You think that such creation of life was was merely a chemical reaction because of the presence of light (temperature), water and land? OBSERVATIONS: a. The great role of LIGHT, WATER and MATTER b. The INTERCONNECTION, INTERPENETRATION and INTERDEPENDENCE of one thing with other things We can understand this phenomena if we will refer them to science. The Bible is not a science textbook! We can betterly appreciate the scripture if we combine the Bible with Science both natural and social science. Why Is Light Important To The Earth? WITHOUT LIGHT, there would be no life on earth. This is because we need plant life, not just so that we have a source of food, but also to create oxygen so that we can actually breathe. Without light, plants would be unable to grow. Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, particularly sugars so the plant has food, using the energy from the sun. This process that takes place in green plants and some other organisms releases oxygen as a by-product, meaning that light is not just important to the earth but is absolutely vital. It is possible to see how much plants value, and need, light if you have a look at one that has been placed on a window sill. It will learn towards the source of light and you will have to keep rotating the plant to make sure that it grows evenly. This process of leaning is called phototropism, and it occurs because the hormones that control the growth of the plant begin to build up in the stem forcing it towards the light. Different plants have different requirements when it comes to light, with some preferring to be in direct sunlight and others preferring a shadier place to grow. If you want to grow particular plants, you need to take these things into consideration, and for some plants, such as orchids, it is even necessary to provide the plants with strong artificial lighting that also gives off a great deal of heat to make sure that your plants thrive. One plant that is sometimes grown in the dark (but only in the final stages otherwise the plant would die) is rhubarb. This forces the stems to grow straight and be pale in colour. They are placed in long low forcing sheds, which are so quiet you can actually hear the rhubarb grow. When it is time for the stems to be harvested, it is actually done by candlelight. And only in science we can understand this. Another observations: a. Adam and Eve ate fruits and nuts from trees at the start. Is being hungry a chemical reaction? Yes. People eat for two main reasons. The first reason is hunger; the second is appetite. Hunger and appetite are not synonyms. In fact, hunger and appetite are entirely different processes. Hunger is the need for food. It is a physical reaction that includes chemical changes in your body related to a naturally low level of glucose in your blood several hours after eating. An instinctive, protective mechanism that makes sure that your body gets the fuel it requires to function reasonably well. Appetite is the desire for food. It is a sensory or psychological reaction (looks good! smells good!) that stimulates an involuntary physiological response (salivation, stomach contractions). A conditioned response to food. The practical difference between hunger and appetite is this: When you’re hungry, you eat one hot dog. After that, your appetite may lead you to eat two more hot dogs just because they look appealing or taste good. In other words, appetite is the basis for the familiar saying: “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” Not to mention the well-known advertising slogan: “Bet you can’t eat just one.” Hey, these guys know their customers. The clearest signals that your body wants food, right now, are the physical reactions from your stomach and your blood that let you know it’s definitely time to put more food in your mouth and — eat! Growling and rumbling: An empty belly has no manners. If you do not fill it right away, your stomach will issue an audible — sometimes embarrassing — call for food. This rumbling signal is called a hunger pang. Hunger pangs actually are plain old muscle contractions. When your stomach’s full, these contractions and their continual waves down the entire length of the intestine — known as peristalsis — move food through your digestive tract. When your stomach’s empty, the contractions just squeeze air, and that makes noise. Getting that empty feeling: Every time you eat, your pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that enables you to transform the food you eat into glucose, the simple sugar on which the body runs, and then to move the glucose into body cells. The higher level of glucose temporarily suppresses appetite, but when the glucose circulating in your blood declines again, you may feel empty, which prompts you to eat. Most people experience the natural rise and fall of glucose as a relatively smooth pattern that lasts about four hours. b. Then in the course of time, they planted crops and took food from them [the discovery of agriculture]- Gen. 3:23. Have you seen the progression from tree dwelling fruit eating people to crop production? What caused this progression? c. Then in the course of time, they settled in one place and discovered domestication of livestocks [Gen. 4]. Have you seen from being nomadic to stationary residence? d. The discovery of fire [Gen. 8:20]. How this discovery of fire affect human progression in terms of cooking and the melting iron to serve as tools to be used in production? The original source of fire undoubtedly was lightning, and such fortuitously ignited blazes remained the only source of fire for aeons. For some years Peking man, about 500,000 BC, was believed to be the earliest unquestionable user of fire; evidence uncovered in Kenya in 1981 and in South Africa in 1988, however, suggests that the earliest controlled use of fire by hominids dates from about 1,420,000 years ago. Not until about 7000 BC did Neolithic man acquire reliable fire-making techniques, in the form either of drills, saws, and other friction-producing implements or of flint struck against pyrites. Even then it was more convenient to keep a fire alive permanently than to reignite it d. Then in the course of time, they invented tools made of bronze and iron [Gen. 4:20-22]. Iron isnt made, its mined and then refined. Iron ore is dug out of the ground. Its mixed up with other things (mostly different combinations of iron and oxygen). To get rid of the other chemicals, the iron ore is heated to an extremely high temperature. Carbon (coal) is added. The carbon binds to the oxygen and eventually creates carbon dioxide gas (the same gas people expel when they breathe out). This gas is expelled, leaving behind the iron. When some of the oxygen and carbon are left, then the product is called pig iron. Pig iron contains about 4 % carbon. Pure or nearly pure iron is called wrought iron -- its very strong, but its heavy, hard to melt or mold, can grow brittle, and it rusts like crazy. How tools from stone to iron affect human progression and society? Human labor power and society In Genesis 2:15 human labor was built-into human life. Before Adam and Eve violated Gods command not to eat the forbidden fruit, they were already commanded to work. Why work? Although there were trees, fruits and animals in the Garden of Eden that can serve as source of food, those things dont come into their mouth. Adam and Eve needs to exert effort and energy to reach those things and that is labor, therefore, human labor is in born in every living person, same true with animals. Not only that Adam and Eve depended their food from nature but also nature depended upon their human labor because the Scripture said that no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the arth and there was no one to work the ground [Gen. 2:5]. Here we can see how mother nature combined with human labor power. After the fall of Adam and Eve until our time, human labor is still required as the key to life survival [ 2 Thes. 3:10]. The vision of new society [new heavens and earth- universe], human labor is still required [Isa. 55:21-23]. History of technology Prehistoric stone tools over 10,000 years old, found in Les Combarelles cave, France, Carpentry tools recovered from the wreck of a 16th century sailing ship. Stone and metal knives Anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the progression of mankind. Humans evolved an opposable thumb — useful in holding tools — and increased dramatically in intelligence, which aided in the use of tools. Because tools are used extensively by both humans and wild chimpanzees, it is widely assumed that the first routine use of tools took place prior to the divergence between the two species. These early tools, however, were likely made of perishable materials such as sticks, or consisted of unmodified stones that cannot be distinguished from other stones as tools. The beginning of the Stone Age marks the era when hominins first began manufacturing stone tools, and evidence of these tools dates back at least 2.6 million years in Ethiopia. One of the earliest distinguishable stone tool forms is the hand axe. Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to the top of the food chain; by inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that human bodies could not, such as using a spear or bow and arrow to kill prey, since their teeth were not sharp enough to pierce many animals skins. The transition from stone to metal tools roughly coincided with the development of agriculture around the 4th millennium BC. Mechanical devices experienced a major expansion in their use in the Middle Ages with the systematic employment of new energy sources: water (waterwheels) and wind (windmills). Machine tools occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the industrial revolution. Advocates of nanotechnology expect a similar surge as tools become microscopic in size. Now, what causes this progression? From purely manual labor to tool making. With discovery of tools to be used in production, production is faster and easier. Now, let us see where human labor plays in this progression. In the very begining even before the story on Adams fall, human labor is a constant factor and requirement for human survival [Gen. 2:15]. Human labor continue to exist even in our times [2 Thes. 3:10]. In the vision of new world order (new earth), human labor still continue to exist [Isa. 65:21-23]. There are two things that are connected to mans struggle with nature: (a) The Object of labor- which comprises of the things upon which mans labor is used. They can be objects found in nature, or objects upon which some labor has already been applied. The universal object of labor is land with its mineral wealth and waters; (b) The Means of labor - are the things which in the process of labor man places between himself and the objects of labor, and include all those things with the aid of which he acts upon the object of his labor and transform it. In the Philippine countryside, the most common means of labor are the backward instruments like bolos, sickle, hoes, spade, etc. Means of Production is the Object and the Means of labors combined. This Means of Production are nothing more than a lifeless heap of objects until people apply their labor to them. An essential condition of any production process, therefore, is the marriage of the Means of Production to the Labor Power; that is, the connection of embodied and live labor. Human labor power is the one responsible for the discovery of tools and the improvement thereof. Human labor is also responsible in the reproduction of production for human life sustenance and even in the reproduction of human species. When society was not yet divided into social classes, production was purely for use but after that society were divided, production was no longer for use but also for exchange [barter to market production and then production for sale]. If there is chemical reaction that took place in mother nature, there is also socio-economic reaction that is happening in society. What causes this changes? Society is also in progression: From Primitive communal to slave-owning to feudal to capitalist and to socialism. What is the force behind societys progression? Social organizations is also in progession: From family to tribe then tribal confederation to nationshood and the coming internationalism. What brought about change or progression in the entire processes in tools, social organizations and production? Let us use science to explain this progression [change, development] from simple to complex to more complex. A never ending progression. In the words of the English physicist and philosopher David Bohm: In nature nothing remains constant. Everything is in a perpetual state of transformation, motion, and change. However, we discover that nothing simply surges up out of nothing without having antecedents that existed before. Likewise, nothing ever disappears without a trace, in the sense that it gives rise to absolutely nothing existing at later times. This general characteristic of the world can be expressed in terms of a principle which summarises an enormous domain of different kinds of experience and which has never yet been contradicted in any observation or experiment, scientific or otherwise; namely, everything comes from other things and gives rise to other things. The fundamental proposition of dialectics is that everything is in a constant process of change, motion and development. Even when it appears to us that nothing is happening, in reality, matter is always changing. Molecules, atoms and subatomic particles are constantly changing place, always on the move. Dialectics is thus an essentially dynamic interpretation of the phenomena and processes which occur at all levels of both organic and inorganic matter. To our eyes, our crude eyes, nothing is changing, notes the American physicist Richard P. Feynman, but if we could see it a billion times magnified, we would see that from its own point of view it is always changing: molecules are leaving the surface, molecules are coming back. So fundamental is this idea to dialectics that Marx and Engels considered motion to be the most basic characteristic of matter. As in so many cases, this dialectical notion was already anticipated by Aristotle, who wrote: Therefore…the primary and proper meaning of ‘nature’ is the essence of things which have in themselves…the principle of motion. This is not the mechanical conception of motion as something imparted to an inert mass by an external force but an entirely different notion of matter as self-moving. For them, matter and motion (energy) were one and the same thing, two ways of expressing the same idea. This idea was brilliantly confirmed by Einstein’s theory of the equivalence of mass and energy. This is how Engels expresses it: Motion in the most general sense, conceived as the mode of existence, the inherent attribute, of matter, comprehends all changes and processes occurring in the universe, from mere change of place right up to thinking. The investigation of the nature of motion had as a matter of course to start from the lowest, simplest forms of this motion and to learn to grasp these before it could achieve anything in the way of explanation of the higher and more complicated forms. From the beginning: the material world exists, nothing comes from nothing, everything changes, nothing entirely disappears Everything Flows Everything is in a constant state of motion, from neutrinos to super-clusters. The earth itself is constantly moving, rotating around the sun once a year, and rotating on its own axis once a day. The sun, in turn, revolves on its axis once in 26 days and, together with all the other stars in our galaxy, travels once around the galaxy in 230 million years. It is probable that still larger structures (clusters of galaxies) also have some kind of overall rotational motion. This seems to be a characteristic of matter right down to the atomic level, where the atoms which make up molecules rotate about each other at varying rates. Inside the atom, electrons rotate around the nucleus at enormous speeds. The electron possesses a quality known as intrinsic spin. It is as if it rotates around its own axis at a fixed rate and cannot be stopped or changed except by destroying the electron as such. If the spin of the electron is increased, it so drastically alters its properties that it results in a qualitative change, producing a completely different particle. The quantity known as angular momentum—the combined measure of the mass, size and speed of the rotating system—is used to measure the spin of elementary particles. The principle of spin quantization is fundamental at the subatomic level but also exists in the macroscopic world. However, its effect is so infinitesimal that it can be taken for granted. The world of subatomic particles is in a state of constant movement and ferment, in which nothing is ever the same as itself. Particles are constantly changing into their opposites, so that it is impossible even to assert their identity at any given moment of time. Neutrons change into protons, and protons into neutrons in a ceaseless exchange of identity. Engels defines dialectics as the science of the general laws of motion and development of nature, human society and thought. In Anti-Dühring and The Dialectics of Nature, Engels gives an account of the laws of dialectics, beginning with the three most fundamental ones: 1) The law of the transformation of quantity into quality and vice versa; 2) The law of the interpenetration of opposites, and 3) The law of the negation of the negation. At first sight, such a claim may seem excessively ambitious. Is it really possible to work out laws which have such a general application? Can there be an underlying pattern which repeats itself in the workings, not only of society and thought, but of nature itself? Despite all such objections, it is becoming increasingly clear that such patterns do indeed exist and constantly re-appear at all kinds of levels, in all kinds of ways. And there is an increasing number of examples, drawn from fields as diverse as subatomic particles to population studies, which lend increasing weight to the theory of dialectical materialism. The essential point of dialectical thought is not that it is based on the idea of change and motion but that it views motion and change as phenomena based upon contradiction. Whereas traditional formal logic seeks to banish contradiction, dialectical thought embraces it. Contradiction is an essential feature of all being. It lies at the heart of matter itself. It is the source of all motion, change, life and development. The dialectical law which expresses this idea is the law of the unity and interpenetration of opposites. The third law of dialectics, the negation of the negation, expresses the notion of development. Instead of a closed circle, where processes continually repeat themselves, this law points out that movement through successive contradictions actually leads to development, from simple to complex, from lower to higher. Processes do not repeat themselves exactly in the same way, despite appearances to the contrary. These, in a very schematic outline, are the three most fundamental dialectical laws. Arising from them there are a whole series of additional propositions, involving the relation between whole and part, form and content, finite and infinite, attraction and repulsion and so on. The LAW ON CONTRADICTION as the prime force that brings about progression/change: Contradiction is an essential feature of all being. It lies at the heart of matter itself. It is the source of all motion, change, life and development.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 22:44:03 +0000
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