Marxist Philosophy in China : From Qu Qiubai to Mao Zedong, 1923-1945

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Introduction

   Pages 1-12

3. Marx, Marxist Philosophy and the Construction of ‘Orthodoxy’

   Pages 13-28

4. Qu Qiubai and the Origins of Marxist Philosophy in China

   Pages 29-52

5. Qu Qiubai and the Origins of Marxist Philosophy in China

   Pages 53-69

6. The New Philosophy and Marxist Philosophy in China

   Pages 71-92

7. Ai Siqi and Mao Zedong

   Pages 93-108

8. Ai Siqi on the New Philosophy

   Pages 109-127

9. Li Da and Marxist Philosophy in China

   Pages 129-147

10. Mao Zedong and the New Philosophy

    Pages 149-169

11. Mao Zedong on Dialectical Materialism

    Pages 171-195

12. From the New Philosophy to ‘Mao Zedong Thought’

    Pages 197-213

13. Conclusion

    Pages 215-233

14. Back Matter

    Pages 233-245

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This book recounts the history of Marxist philosophy in China between 1923 and 1945 through the writings and activities of four philosophers: Qu Qiubai, Ai Siqi, Li Da and Mao Zedong. Two of these philosophers – Qu and Mao – were also political activists and leaders, but their contribution to this history is as important, if not more so, than the contribution of Ai and Li who were predominantly philosophers and scholars. The inclusion of Qu and Mao underlines the intimate connection between philosophy and politics in the revolutionary movement in China. It is not possible to speak credibly of Marxist philosophy in China without considering the political context within which its introduction, elaboration and dissemination proceeded. Indeed, each of the philosophers considered in this book repudiated the notion that the study of philosophy was a scholastic intellectual exercise devoid of political significance. Each of these philosophers regarded himself as a revolutionary, and considered philosophy to be useful precisely because it could facilitate a comprehension of the world and so accelerate efforts to change it. By the same token, each of these philosophers took philosophy seriously; each bent his mind to the daunting task of mastering the arcane and labyrinthian philosophical system of dialectical materialism. Philosophy might well be political, they believed, but this was no excuse for philosophical dilettantism.

• China
• Karl Marx
• Marx
• Marxism
• bibliography
• dialectical materialism
• logic
• philosophy

• Griffith University, Australia

  Nick Knight

Policies and ethics