The word "theory," applied to a strain of Marxism-Leninism,
evokes a wide variety of subjects, extending from the most abstract
questions to the systematic analysis of the tactics to be applied in
a given country during a given period. This chapter deals with
general problems: Mao's conception of the nature of Marxist
theory and of the role of theory in the development of society and
the universe; and Mao's method of setting forth the most general
theses of Marxism on nature, history and society.

The inclusion of so long a chapter on questions of this type may
seem highly paradoxical, for in the general introduction I empha-
sized that this aspect of Mao's thought is far from being the most
interesting.

The relative mediocrity of Mao Tse-tung as a Marxist philoso-
pher, that is to say as a systematic thinker dealing with problems
on a high level of abstraction in terms of Marxist categories, can be
explained no doubt in part by the difficulties in assimilating West-
ern thought. But there is certainly more to be said on this. Mao
Tse-tung unquestionably has a certain lack of interest in theoretical
problems as such. He has a tendency to relate everything, if not
to the class struggle, at least to certain concrete values: the affirma-
tion by the Chinese people of its own personality, or the mastery
of man over nature. Of course, he is not without interest either in
the class struggle or in the struggle for power. On the contrary, he
sees in the triumph of the Communist Party, and no doubt also
in his own power, the first condition for the liberation of China
and for the transformation of nature.

All of these themes will be dealt with in succeeding chapters, and
we will see with what enthusiasm, with what wealth of imagination
and imagery, he approaches these questions. When, on the other
hand, he talks about dialectics--not about the dialectics of classes
in China, nor about contradictions under socialism, but about dia-
lectics in general--the result is much more lifeless.

The best example of this is his famous essay Dialectical Mate-
rialism," which constitutes Text II C. This selection is indeed
rather dull--so dull that some have drawn from it unwarranted

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