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| ⚫ | | quote = '''Practice is not only the criterion for testing truth, but the only criterion.''' Chairman Mao said: "There is only one truth, and whoever discovers the truth does not rely on subjective exaggeration, but on objective practice." Only the revolutionary practice of millions of people is the yardstick for testing the truth. "The criterion of truth can only be the practice of society. It is said here: "only" and "is", that is, there is only one standard, and there is no second. This is because the truth mentioned by dialectical materialism is an objective truth, and it is the correct reflection of human thought on the objective world and its laws. Therefore, as the criterion for testing the truth, we cannot look for it in the subjective realm, nor can we look for it in the realm of theory, and ideas, theories, and ourselves cannot be the criteria for testing whether they conform to objective reality, just as in law the plaintiff is true or not, he cannot be based on his own lawsuit. As a criterion for testing truth, it must have the characteristic of connecting the human mind with the objective world, otherwise it cannot be tested. Human social practice is an activity to transform the objective world, and it is something that is subjectively seen in the objective. Practice has the property of linking ideas with objective reality. Therefore, it is practice, and only practice, that can accomplish the task of testing the truth. Numerous facts in the history of science speak volumes about this problem. | ||
| | quote = What is the test of truth? This is a problem that has long been solved by the revolutionary teachers of the proletariat. But over the years, the issue has been confusing due to the sabotage of the "Gang of Four" and the massive distortion and propaganda of the public opinion tools under their control. In order to deeply criticize the "Gang of Four" and eliminate its poison and influence, it is very necessary to set things right on this issue. | |||
| How do you distinguish truth from falsehood? In 1845, Marx raised the question of the criterion for testing truth: "Whether or not human thinking has objective truth is not a question of theory, but a question of practice. People should prove the truth of their own thinking in practice, that is, the reality and power of their own thinking, that is, the nature of their own thinking. The debate about the reality of thinking detached from practice is a matter of pure scholasticism. (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 16) This tells us very clearly that whether a theory correctly reflects objective reality and whether it is true can only be tested by social practice. This is a basic principle of Marxist epistemology. | |||
| ⚫ | '''Practice is not only the criterion for testing truth, but the only criterion.''' Chairman Mao said: "There is only one truth, and whoever discovers the truth does not rely on subjective exaggeration, but on objective practice." Only the revolutionary practice of millions of people is the yardstick for testing the truth. "The criterion of truth can only be the practice of society. It is said here: "only" and "is", that is, there is only one standard, and there is no second. This is because the truth mentioned by dialectical materialism is an objective truth, and it is the correct reflection of human thought on the objective world and its laws. Therefore, as the criterion for testing the truth, we cannot look for it in the subjective realm, nor can we look for it in the realm of theory, and ideas, theories, and ourselves cannot be the criteria for testing whether they conform to objective reality, just as in law the plaintiff is true or not, he cannot be based on his own lawsuit. As a criterion for testing truth, it must have the characteristic of connecting the human mind with the objective world, otherwise it cannot be tested. Human social practice is an activity to transform the objective world, and it is something that is subjectively seen in the objective. Practice has the property of linking ideas with objective reality. Therefore, it is practice, and only practice, that can accomplish the task of testing the truth. Numerous facts in the history of science speak volumes about this problem. | ||
| | author = — Hu Fuming, "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing the Truth", ] May 11, 1978 | | author = — Hu Fuming, "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing the Truth", ] May 11, 1978 | ||
| | source = <ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/dfpd/jiandang90nian/2011-04/20/content_12389536_2.htm | access-date = 19 January 2023| url-status = live}}</ref> | | source = <ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/dfpd/jiandang90nian/2011-04/20/content_12389536_2.htm | access-date = 19 January 2023| url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 10:08, 19 January 2024
Chinese slogan| Seek truth from facts | |||||||||||||
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.jpg) A stele of the expression in Beijing | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 實事求是 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 实事求是 | ||||||||||||
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"Seek truth from facts" is a historically established idiomatic expression (chengyu) in the Chinese language that first appeared in the Book of Han. Originally, it described an attitude toward study and research.
Use in a political context
The slogan became a key slogan in Chinese Marxism and was first used by Mao Zedong in 1936. Mao had probably remembered it as being the inscription on his alma mater, Hunan's First Teachers Training School. Mao's usage of the slogan built on his themes in On Practice, which argues that people must apply their knowledge to practice in reality in order to test its truthfulness.
Beginning in 1978, it was further promoted by Deng Xiaoping as a central ideology of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and applied to economic and political reforms thereafter.
Seek truth from facts《漢書 ·河間獻王德傳》河間獻王德以孝景前二年立，修學好古，實事求是。從民得善書，必為好寫與之，留其真，加金帛賜以招之。
The Prince Xian of Hejian, Liu De, was made a prince in the second year of Emperor Jing the Filial; he enjoyed studying classics from earlier eras, and sought truth from facts. When he obtained a valuable book from the people, he always made a copy by transcribing it and returned the copy to them, keeping the original himself, and provided gold and silk to keep those guests coming.
The Biography of the Prince Xian of Hejian, Liu De (Book of Han)
In contemporary Chinese politics
See also: 1978 Truth Criterion ControversyTo "seek truth from facts" means that communists should test theory against reality rather than adhere dogmatically to theory. The slogan implies respect for facts and using facts to inform theory and policy.
On 11 May 1978 journalist Hu Fuming published an article in state run newspaper Guangming Daily entitled "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing the Truth" (Chinese: 实践是检验真理的唯一标准; pinyin: Shíjiàn shì jiǎnyàn zhēnlǐ de wéiyī biāozhǔn), directly contradicting then CCP general secretary Hua Guofeng's line of the "Two Whatevers" (Chinese: 两个凡是; pinyin: Liǎng gè fánshì) policy and thereby Mao Zedong's policy of class struggle; in favour of economic reform championed by Deng Xiaoping. The title of the article is inspired by the ancient saying and is widely seen as a seminal document in the contemporary Chinese political landscape and marks the turning point to the era of Reform and Opening Up in 20th century China.
— Hu Fuming, "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing the Truth", Guangming Daily May 11, 1978,Practice is not only the criterion for testing truth, but the only criterion. Chairman Mao said: "There is only one truth, and whoever discovers the truth does not rely on subjective exaggeration, but on objective practice." Only the revolutionary practice of millions of people is the yardstick for testing the truth. "The criterion of truth can only be the practice of society. It is said here: "only" and "is", that is, there is only one standard, and there is no second. This is because the truth mentioned by dialectical materialism is an objective truth, and it is the correct reflection of human thought on the objective world and its laws. Therefore, as the criterion for testing the truth, we cannot look for it in the subjective realm, nor can we look for it in the realm of theory, and ideas, theories, and ourselves cannot be the criteria for testing whether they conform to objective reality, just as in law the plaintiff is true or not, he cannot be based on his own lawsuit. As a criterion for testing truth, it must have the characteristic of connecting the human mind with the objective world, otherwise it cannot be tested. Human social practice is an activity to transform the objective world, and it is something that is subjectively seen in the objective. Practice has the property of linking ideas with objective reality. Therefore, it is practice, and only practice, that can accomplish the task of testing the truth. Numerous facts in the history of science speak volumes about this problem.
References
- ^ Harrell, Stevan (2023). An Ecological History of Modern China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295751719.
- Terrill, Ross (1993). Mao: A Biography. Simon & Schuster. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-671-79803-1.
- ^ Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise. New Haven: Yale University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv3006z6k. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. JSTOR j.ctv3006z6k. OCLC 1348572572. S2CID 253067190.
- Deng, Xiaoping. "Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts and unite as one in looking to the future". cpcchina.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- "河間獻王德傳". Book of Han. 111.
- "An article influences Chinese history -- china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/dfpd/jiandang90nian/2011-04/20/content_12389536_2.htm. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
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