Book: On Practice and Contradiction

Overview
Composed in 1937, the paired essays "On Practice" and "On Contradiction" articulate a method of dialectical materialism tailored to the problems facing the Chinese revolutionary movement. Both pieces press Marxist theory into the service of practical struggle, insisting that knowledge and strategy must be tested and reshaped through concrete social and political practice. The essays combine philosophical argument with political lessons drawn from the Chinese experience, aiming to guide activists and intellectuals toward effective revolutionary work.

Main ideas of "On Practice"
"On Practice" centers on the thesis that knowledge originates in and returns to practice. Sensory experience and social activity produce empirical knowledge, which through reflection and study is generalized into theory; theory must then be validated and enriched by further practical engagement. Knowing is thus a cyclical process: from practice to cognition and back to practice, with each turn deepening understanding and transforming capacities.
A central purpose is to attack two epistemological errors: dogmatism, which elevates abstract theory above experience, and subjectivism, which privileges intuition or isolated reasoning over collective, material investigation. The corrective offered is method: close attention to conditions, experimental testing of hypotheses in struggle, and willingness to revise preconceptions when practice yields contrary results. Practical success becomes the criterion of truth, not as a crude pragmatism but as a historically grounded verification of ideas.

Main ideas of "On Contradiction"
"On Contradiction" develops the ontology and logic of change, arguing that contradiction is the universal and fundamental feature of all phenomena. Every thing, process, and social formation contains opposing aspects whose interaction drives development. Yet contradictions are not uniform: they differ in form, intensity, and relation, and must be analyzed concretely to identify the principal contradiction and the principal aspect at any given time.
Mao distinguishes internal from external contradictions and antagonistic from non-antagonistic ones, insisting that they require different methods of resolution. Internal, non-antagonistic contradictions within a united front or among the people call for persuasion, education, and democratic methods; antagonistic contradictions, such as those with enemy classes or imperialist forces, may demand struggle and suppression. The essay emphasizes particularity: correct analysis must grasp the specific historical, social, and material conditions that shape how contradictions manifest and how they should be addressed.

Applications and legacy
Both essays function as practical manuals as well as philosophical treatises: they provide a toolkit for diagnosing problems, formulating policies, and training cadres to learn from experience. The insistence on testing ideas in struggle influenced tactical decisions in the Anti-Japanese War and the civil war years, shaping policies on united fronts, land reform, and mass mobilization. The methodological stress on concrete analysis and the primacy of practice became central claims of Maoist political pedagogy.
Longer-term, these writings fed into Maoist interpretations of Marxism worldwide, informing debates about guerrilla warfare, cultural struggle, and the relationship between theory and movement. They also became doctrinal anchors during later campaigns that invoked the need to "rectify" thought and adapt leadership to popular realities. As philosophical texts, they remain influential for their vivid insistence that knowledge is an active, social achievement and that change must be understood through the specific conflicts and contradictions that animate history.