| Mao | Ai Siqi |
| (a1) All the terms (or concepts, categories) we use, like “absolute” or “relative” etc., are all the reflection of real things. The term horse exists only because there are real horses in the world. The two terms relative and absolute are also not divorced from actual things. | (b1) All the terms (or concepts, categories) that we use are the reflections of real things. The term horse exists only because there are real horses in the world, the term capitalism exists only because there is a capitalist system. The two terms relative and absolute are also not divorced from actual things…. |
| (a2) In everyday life absolutism often causes trouble. | (b2) In our lives we are often haunted and plagued by absolutism. |
| (a3) Like believing in fate and holding that things cannot change. Also, like considering that the circumstances of life of a certain place do not suit one, demanding a move, and thinking that circumstances cannot change. Also, like considering the people around one are not aware; not knowing that people are also able to change. | (b3) Today we can still come across a great many other people who still believe in the will of God, and consider that everything in the world has been arranged by a Supreme Director, that it is impossible ever to alter it; and that suffering in life also can only be blamed on fate…. |
| Even though aware youth are progressive, we often see this kind of shortcoming: they often write letters saying: “My circumstances are odious and I cannot tolerate them, I must get away from them and go and live in a better place; perhaps you can recommend me to someone in the Save the Nation Organization so I can enter it and work happily”. This kind of view is unintentionally governed by absolutist thinking. Although the originators of this sort of view are progressive youths who embrace new thinking and understand that the world changes, who understand that the duty of a Chinese at the present stage is national salvation and resistance, nevertheless, they have not taken their own progressive thinking, and without regret, applied it to the approach towards their own life. In looking at their own life they use a fixed, unchanging, and absolute viewpoint: their circumstances are really gloomy, yet they forget that gloom also can be smashed; and that the effort of progressive youth can make circumstances change. The people around them are not aware; yet they forget people who are not aware, under certain conditions, will one day walk the path of awareness. They take gloom and the state of not being aware and render them absolute, holding that these are completely without the potential for change for the better. Consequently, they despairingly cry, “There’s no way, the circumstances of my life already can’t accommodate me, let me go to another more promising field of activity!” |
| (a4) Darkness is not absolute, neither is brightness absolute. | (b4) When we receive this kind of youth’s letter, we can only reply: “Your ideas are wrong: you think your circumstances are bad and you want to flee this gloomy captivity; this is wrong. |
| Escape is not an appropriate means in life, because in current society there is basically not one place that is completely bright; you flee from your own circumstances, yet you will walk into a new gloomy captivity; escape is of no avail. But there is no need for you to be pessimistic, because brightness strikes out from within darkness; if darkness is not smashed then there can be no brightness; therefore you should remain in your own surroundings and to the best of your ability carry out your daily duty as a progressive -smash darkness. You do not want to regard darkness as too absolute!” |
| From this example we know that absolutism needs to be opposed; it makes us unwilling to proceed from the reality facing us, to work, and to struggle; we only dream of another promising place, or think of escaping from reality. Absolutism does not accord with the true condition of things, because all things are able to change; dark society can also develop into bright society; it is not an absolute darkness. Bright things are also hatched from darkness; it is not an absolute brightness that has fallen from heaven. |
| (a5) Exceeding reality and seeking to realize the ideal, and avoiding reality, are both conceptualist (guannianlun). The majority of conceptualisms subscribe to absolutism. | (b5) One needs to grasp the significance of the new philosophy and new social science; one also needs to oppose this absolutism, otherwise, although this new philosophy is discussed in words, in reality one turns into a conceptualist. The emergence of this philosophy and social science requires that in actual dark society we use a variety of methods to promote the realization of the future society and goals. There are a few people who misunderstand this science; they regard the future society as an ideal; very impatiently they think of starting to establish it in the world immediately; but they do not know it is promoted from within actual society. Although their imagined ideal appears identical with the new philosophy and new science, in fact, they set too much store on ideals and forget reality; therefore this is still a conceptualism (the majority of conceptualisms subscribe to absolutism). |
| (a6) Infantile Leftism is a kind of absolutism because it renders ideals absolute; it is unaware that ideals can only be realized in accordance with prevailing conditions. | (b6) The term “Infantile Leftism” that we often hear can be blamed on this absolutism because it regards the ideals of the new social science in too absolute a fashion (i.e., forgets it is hatched from within the old society). |
| (a7) The changing of darkness and the obtaining of brightness is in proportion to one’s efforts; strive and it is so, do not strive and it is not so; the relativity of these things is in terms of whether one strives or not; it is in terms of the duration of time. | (b7) First, we need to say: we must acknowledge that all things are relative because all things are changing. Since we acknowledge that finally one day the circumstances of our gloomy life will change for the better, we must also, at the same time, acknowledge that gloom only exists today; as long as we clearly see the path of the development of society, and in accordance with this path go on struggling, then, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, there will always come a time when brightness will be discovered. This is to say that gloom is relative; it is relative to the duration of today’s time; or it is relative to our making an effort; if we do not strive for one day the influence of gloom will be prolonged for one day. At the same time brightness is also relative; although the prospects for the development of society are bright, this cannot by itself suddenly come about; it needs us to promote it; it cannot be established by us in an easy way out of a void; it requires that we struggle and strive for it in actual society; its emergence and our efforts are relative. |
| (a8) Relativism considers that there is no definite truth; one person one truth; ten people ten truths; “isn’t that all the same!” This is scepticism; doubt everything; nothing can be grasped. | (b8) To speak thus, in no way means we need to subscribe to relativism. The relativity of things must be acknowledged because things are continuously changing; they do not have an absolute, permanent existence. But acknowledging the relativity of things in no way means one needs to subscribe to relativism. Why can one not believe in relativism? Because it overstates the relativity of things. It makes us think as follows: “Everything is the same whether it be gloom or brightness; all is relative; all lacks a defining criterion; in the world there is no such thing as truth, because all truth is relative; I say it is true and another person may think it is false. Life is the same; why strive and struggle? Perhaps the promise of the future is only my idle dream; why suffer hardship for no purpose? Drift aimlessly through life; this is the way to pass one’s days”. |
| (a9) Doubting is correct; doubting everything is not. | (b9) Relativism overstates relativity. Its overstatement makes us unable to believe in anything, making us doubt everything; relativism is a scepticism. Doubt is necessary in observing things; doubting everything, not being able to grasp the least thing in life and thought, only intending to muddle through life at the present, this is a mess. |
| (a10) Old people tend more to relativism; young people tend more to absolutism. | (b10) This relativism and scepticism are noxious, but those amongst the youth who accept this poison are comparatively few; because the enthusiasm of youth is very great it is easy for absolutism to exercise a bad influence on them, but very few are affected by the poison of relativism. This poison mostly affects old people, although lethargic youth can also suffer from this tendency. Generally speaking, they are attacked and cannot withstand the attacker, they lack the courage to struggle forward; it is easy for them to come to terms with the adverse influences immediately confronting them. Therefore a part of the shortcomings of Right deviationism comes from relativism. If one says absolutism is a defect of the youth, then, relativism is a defect of the old or adult. |
| (a11) Relativism overstates the relativity of things. The relative and absolute nature of change in things should be acknowledged; overstating that nothing can be grasped becomes relativism. | (b11) Relativism unduly overstates relativity and this becomes an abnormal, distorted thinking; this is what we need to oppose, and this has already been explained above. But we do not need to completely oppose the relativity of things. Since we acknowledge the changeability of things, we must acknowledge their relativity. But this relativity and the relativity that doubts everything are not the same; this relativity only indicates change in things, it does not deny that in this change there are fixed, regular patterns and laws, as well as definite origins and prospects; therefore, although we have not regarded present things as absolutely permanent, we also have not denied order and melody in the development of the world. This is to say that it is not that relativity that doubts everything and does not believe in any regular patterns. Although it acknowledges relativity and changeability, at the same time it has not forgotten that in change there are fixed things, things with regular patterns. This is also to say that in relativity it still sees absolute things. Absolute things are embodied in the relative; relativism cannot see this point; this then is the difference between it and relativism. |
| When acknowledging the nature of change in, and relativity of, things, at the same time also acknowledge fixed things amidst change and relativity, and the definite laws of the development of things; acknowledge absolute things amidst relativity. The absolute is embodied in the relative. Relativism does not acknowledge this regularity. | |
| (a12) Relative things embody definite absolute things; absolute things are manifested in each necessary stage in relative things; this is the relation between the two. | (b12) For example, at the present moment the Chinese people are demanding that the nation rise together in resistance against the enemy, and this, obviously, is relative, because it is only in recent years that this has been felt as a pressing need. Seven or eight years ago, we naturally wanted to oppose imperialist invaders, but at that time we did not concentrate the fury of the nation on an Asian imperialism. What about the future? One day this kind of thing may be no more, because the demand for national liberation stems from the intensifying oppression of the invader, and is relative to this oppression. If, one day the imperialist enemy are defeated, or because of a change in their own country, they cease their assault on us, we will not be able without any reason to again kindle the flames of resistance against them. The demands of resisting the enemy and national salvation can change; therefore, it is also relative. |
| But if we overstate this relativity and say: good, this kind of demand is only a transient thing, perhaps tomorrow it will not be the same, and the day after tomorrow it will again change. We do not even have to strive for this kind of demand. It does not matter because how will the affairs of today turn out tomorrow; we are completely ignorant of this; why waste our energy?-this, then becomes scepticism. |
| This kind of overstatement, obviously, is incorrect. Although we acknowledge that the unanimous national resistance against the enemy is only the present stage of the movement for national liberation, and that its relativity is in respect to the “present stage”, at the same time, we must also say that at the present stage, making use of unanimous national resistance against the enemy to carry out national liberation is an absolutely necessary thing; at the present stage, besides this path there is absolutely no second path that can be taken. In short, with regards to the viewpoint of development each thing is relative, but at each stage of development there must be a fixed regular pattern and the emergence of a definite thing; this is absolute. Relative things always embody definite absolute things; absolute things are manifested as each necessary stage in relative things. This is the relation between the two. |
