Please download and read "Where Do Correct Ideas Come From?" and and "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed The Mountains".
Print them out.
Outline what Mao says in "Where Do Correct…" Then answer the following questions.
What does he mean by "Do they drop from the skies? No. " What kind of ideas does he mean? Give examples.
What kind of ideas does he mean by "Are they innate in the mind? No." Again, give examples.
Mao says:
Often, correct knowledge can be arrived at only after many repetitions of the process leading from matter to consciousness and then back to matter, that is, leading from practice to knowledge and then back to practice.
How is this similar to the process that "The Foolish Old Man..." uses to change the mountain (= material reality)? What is the role of "God" / "the masses of the Chinese people"?
Does "The Foolish Old Man" "comprehend that matter can be transformed into consciousness and consciousness into matter" (as Mao states in "Where Do Correct ...")? Think about this.
Both of these short essays are about how to change society for the benefit of the masses.
Why could they not apply to changing society for the benefit of the exploiters – bankers, industrialists, landlords, etc.?
Write 300 words or a bit more, not counting any quotations you choose to use (do not use many). Email to me and to your group.
Bring both texts, plus your HW assignment, printed out, to class with you.