A Major Debate on What Constitutes Truth

A major debate on what constitutes truth, initiated over 40 years ago under Deng Xiaoping and other revolutionary leaders of his generation, unfolded among Party members and the general public. It was about whether China should abide by every decision and instruction made by Chairman Mao, or whether the people should now seek truth from facts.

In the mid- and late-1970s, blind obedience to the words of Mao effectively blocked China's progress. To break free of these shackles, Deng championed a clear breakaway from dogma-driven thinking, which – as he pointed out on many occasions – ran counter to Marxism. He also highlighted the importance of a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of Mao Zedong Thought.

Theoretical Trends, an in-house journal of the Party School of the Central Committee, published an article on May 10, 1978, entitled "Only Practice Leads to Truth." The article categorically rejected any dogmatic approach to following Mao's instructions. It unequivocally pointed out that according to basic Marxist principles, the only test for truth is practice, and that a theory must be tested continuously through practice in order to prove its validity.

The article was published in Guangming Daily the next day, and was released nationwide through Xinhua News Agency. On May 12, People's Daily and PLA Daily both carried the article in full. As the article rejected blind adherence to the words of Mao, it sparked a heated debate within the Party and among the general public on what constitutes truth.

Naturally, the article met with opposition from those stuck in the old mindset. At this point, Deng made a number of speeches in which he affirmed the need to seek truth from facts and proceed from reality in everything done. He also criticized personality cults, dogmatism and unrealistic idealism, and called on the whole Party to free their minds and abandon stereotypical thinking. This inspired a nationwide debate, with scholars and theoreticians to the fore supported by the media and public engagement.

This debate helped the CPC correct existing erroneous tendencies in ideology and theory, and encouraged people to free their minds. It laid the ground for the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee and led directly to a historic turnaround in China.

真理標準問題的大討論

真理標準問題的討論，是40多年前在鄧小平等老一輩無產階級革命家的領導和支持下，在全黨全國范圍內開展的一場大討論，主要表現為實事求是和“兩個凡是”的爭論。

20世紀70年代中后期，中國面臨著“兩個凡是”（即：凡是毛主席做出的決策，我們都堅決維護；凡是毛主席的指示，我們都始終不渝地遵循）錯誤方針的嚴重阻礙。針對這種狀況，鄧小平多次旗幟鮮明地提出，“兩個凡是”不符合馬克思主義，我們要完整準確地理解毛澤東思想。1978年5月10日，中央黨校內部刊物《理論動態》發表了《實踐是檢驗真理的唯一標準》一文，鮮明指出，社會實踐是檢驗真理的唯一標準，任何理論都要不斷接受實踐的檢驗等馬克思主義的基本原理。這就從根本理論上否定了“兩個凡是”。5月11日，這篇文章在《光明日報》公開發表，新華社向全國轉發。12日，《人民日報》《解放軍報》等同時全文轉載。由于這篇文章從根本理論上否定了“兩個凡是”的錯誤方針，因而立即引發了一場全國性的關于真理標準問題的熱烈討論。

《實踐是檢驗真理的唯一標準》發表后，受到了堅持“兩個凡是”觀點的人的壓制。關鍵時刻，鄧小平發表重要講話，深刻闡述了實事求是、一切從實際出發的基本觀點，尖銳地批評了個人崇拜、教條主義和唯心論，號召全體黨員解放思想、打破僵化，有力推動了以理論界為主、新聞界積極推動、社會各界廣泛參與的理論問題大討論。

真理標準問題的討論，是中國共產黨在思想上、理論上最根本的撥亂反正，是一場偉大的思想解放運動，為中共十一屆三中全會的召開做了思想理論準備，直接推動了中國實現偉大歷史轉折。