Two Opposing Theories of Experience
Chairman Mao has
pointed out: "Idealism and mechanical materialism, opportunism and
adventurismy are all characterized by the breach between the subjective and the
objective, by the separation of knowledge from practice." (On Practice.)
Bogdanov and other swindlers like him who had sneaked into the Party in Russia
were such opportunists. In his Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, Lenin
concentrated his efforts on trenchantly exposing this characteristic of theirs.
While these scoundrels opposed revolutionary practice, negated the materialist
theory of experience and advocated the idealist theory of experience, they also
opposed the revolutionary theories, viciously slandered dialectical materialism
as "mysticism" and "dogmatism" and racked their brains to replace materialism
and Marxism with idealism and revisionism. In this respect, they were by no
means isolated cases; Liu Shao-chi and other political swindlers did exactly the
same. While working overtime to trumpet the, so-called theory of "genius," they
opposed the materialist viewpoint that man’s talent originates from practice; at
the same time, they frantically. attacked Marxism-Leninism as outdated and
vainly attempted to, separate the revolutionary theories from the revolutionary
masses so as to lead them astray and deceive them. All this shows that while we
wage struggles against opportunism, we must uphold the viewpoint of giving first
place to practice and oppose idealist apriorism, and at the same time attach
importance to the guiding role of the revolutionary theories and guard against
and overcome empiricism so as to avoid landing ourselves in idealism and
metaphysics.
Marxism maintains
that experience comes from practice in class struggle, the struggle for
production and scientific experiment. "All genuine knowledge originates in
direct experience" (On Practice.) This is true from my own
experience. An example is the chun drill bit. This has not dropped from
the skies, nor is it innate in our minds. It is the outcome of some one thousand
experiments made by members of our research group who have had over a dozen
years of experience at the bench and who have drawn on the advanced experience
at home and abroad. In other words, it was created on the basis of the practical
experience of the drilling machine operators.
In opposing the
materialist line with regard to knowledge, all idealists invariably do all they
can. to negate the objective reality of the contents of experience. In order to
disguise themselves and deceive others, they often resort to the old trick of
holding up the banner of "experience" but actually interpreting experience from
an idealist point of view. Lenin incisively exposed and criticized their trick
of playing with the concept of "experience" when he pointed out that "there
is no doubt that both the materialist and idealist . . . lines in philosophy may
be concealed, beneath the word ‘experience.’ " (Materialism and, Empirio-Criticism.)
It can thus be seen that adherence to the objective reality, of the contents of
experience is the prerequisite for upholding the materialist line on cognition.
Never
Regard Experience as Absolute
Can we automatically
do our work according to the materialist line on cognition when we have direct
experience? No. We would commit mistakes of empiricism if we regard direct
experience as something absolute and rigid – using partial experience as an
unalterable formula and,applying it everywhere, using old experience to look at
new things which. have developed and changed, or overrating our partial
experience and, underrating or even denying the correct experience of others and
the masses. And the result would be that we still could not make a clean break
with the idealist theory of experience advertised by Bogdanov and his like and
would consciously or unconsciously sink into the quagmire of idealism.
All things in the
world are interconnected and at the same time different from one another. In
practice, we should not only pay attention to the general character of things.
More important, we should pay attention to the individual character of
everything, that is, the particular contradiction it contains which
distinguishes it from other things, so as to take appropriate measures to solve
the contradiction accordingly. This is what we mean by using the right key to
open the lock. Likewise, we cannot use one prescription to cure all diseases. As
to experiences gained from one thing, some may be applicable to other things,
others may be partly applicable and still others may be completely inapplicable.
To neglect the particularity of contradictions and mechanically apply old
experience is empiricism.
Everything in the
world is changing and manifests itself at a certain stage in the process of its
development. Therefore our thinking should not overstep the given stage of
development of the objective things and we should not do at present what can
only be done in the future, dreaming of. accomplishing. everything at one
stroke. Nevertheless, as the objective things change, our thinking must change
accordingly, so that we will not lag behind the development of the objective
reality and not use "old experience" to solve new problems. We say that past
experience is correct because it is gained through practice. But if we cling to
it when conditions have changed, then such experience becomes something
subjective.
The realm of
practical activity is extremely wide, but the scope of an individual’s practice
is always limited. While we attach importance to direct experience gained from
personal practice, we should also treasure the creations of the masses, be good
at making investigations and study, and learn with an open mind from other
people’s experience. Only thus, can we do our work well.
Recalling how the
chun drill bit was invented and innovated, I came to a deep understanding
that practice by the masses is a veritable sea of wisdom. It was only after we
had conscientiously studied and investigated the masses’ inventions and
innovations in drilling and absorbed nourishment from their rich experiences
that we were able to make the five comparatively big changes on the chun
drill bit. One cannot have direct experience in everything. Actually most
knowledge comes from indirect. experience. It anyone believes on in himself and
sets his personal experience against the masses’ and direct experience against
indirect, he will also commit empiricist errors. Chairman Mao has said: "It
is also necessary to learn with an open mind from other people’s experience, and
it is sheer ‘narrow empiricism’ to insist on one’s own personal experience in
all matters and, in its absence to adhere stubbornly to one’s own opinions and
reject other people’s experience." (Problems of Strategy in China’s
Revolutionary War.)
Empiricism is a
manifestation of subjectivism and formalism. Ideologically, it runs counter to
the fundamental principles of dialectical materialism and historical
materialism. This is the ideological root cause why empiricists often blindly
follow "Left" or Right opportunists. Under these circumstances, because those
people with empiricism neglect the guiding role of Marxism in revolutionary
practice, pay no attention to studying revolutionary theory, are complacent over
occasional successes and glimpses of the truth, are intoxicated with narrow,
non-principled, "practicalism" and with being brainless "practical men" with no
future, and lack firm and correct political orientation, they are easy
ideological captives of political swindlers who are sham Marxists.
Overcoming Empiricism by Conscientious Study
The fundamental way
to overcome empiricism is to study Marxism conscientiously. In order to
criticize empiricism theoretically, we must study philosophy. Chairman Mao has
said: "Those experienced in work must, take up the study of theory and must
read seriously; only then will they be able to systematize and synthesize their
experience and raise it to the level of theory, only then will they not mistake
their partial experience for universal truth and not commit empiricist errors."
(Rectify the Party’s Style of Work.)
Although direct
experience gained from practice reflects certain reality of the objective world,
it is only perceptual knowledge and the reflection is superficial, partial and
incomplete. "Without comparatively complete knowledge it is impossible to do
revolutionary work well" (Rectify the Party’s Style of Work.) To
transform incomplete knowledge into comparatively complete knowledge, it is
necessary to conscientiously study revolutionary theory, use the
Marxist-Leninist standpoint, view and method to sum up one’s direct experience,
especially the experience in class struggle and the struggle between the two
lines, and to make a leap from perceptual to, rational knowledge through
reconstruction – discarding the dross and selecting the essential, eliminating
the false and retaining the true, proceeding from the one to the other and from
the outside to the inside. In this process, the correct standpoint, view and
method are especially important. A leap in cognition cannot he realized. without
the Marxist standpoint, view and method. If one looks at things from the
empiricist viewpoint, he will not be able to distinguish the dross from the
essential, but will reverse falsehood and truth.
Lenin said: "By
following the path of Marxian theory we shall draw closer and closer to
objective truth (without ever exhausting it); but by following any other path we
shall arrive at nothing but confusion and lies." (Materialism and Empirio-Criticism.)
Class struggle and the struggle between the two lines will exist for a long
time. New contradictions will arise after the old ones have been resolved, and
after victory in one battle, one has to fight new battles. The changing:
movement of the objective world will never end, neither will our knowledge of
truth in our practice. Therefore, we should make revolution and continue to
study as long as we live. (Abridged version of an article which appeared in
Peking Review No. 43, October 27, 1972)
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