1. Lenin said, “Development (or motion) is struggle of opposites.” According to materialist outlook, “Motion is the mode of existence of matter.” Motion in cosmic space, mechanical motion of smaller masses on the various celestial bodies, the vibration of molecules as heat or as electrical or magnetic currents, chemical decomposition and combination, organicalile — at each given moment each individual atom of matter in the world is in one or another of these forms of motion or in several forms at once. Hence, there is neither any “absolute soul” or “ubiquitous God” in this world, the world also did not need any “first impulse.” The whole universe is nothing but matter in motion.
Natural science tells us that when there were no living or human beings, then too, objective world existed. Hence, objective world exists independently of our consciousness. In the process of development from quantitative to qualitative change, living beings developed out of non-living beings and from living beings human race developed gradually. So the whole world including human brain is the result of dialectical development of matter. Brain itself is the highest development of matter. Hence consciousness is the product of matter.
Therefore, materialist outlook demands that we must proceed from objective reality, we must make concrete facts, unity and struggle of opposites inherent in a matter our starting point and should not act according to our subjective desires or borrowed formulas.
2. According to materialist outlook, between matter and consciousness, matter is primary and consciousness is secondary. Matter is that which acting upon our sense-organs produces sensations but which exists independently of our sense-organs or sensations. But through our sense-organs, we know only this or that form of matter because “pure matter” does not exist. Just as fruit exists only in forms of mangoes, apples, bananas etc. and ‘pure fruit’ does not exist at all. So matter is the generalised philosophical name of various forms of matter, in the same way as fruit is the generalised name of various forms of fruits (mangoes, apples, bananas etc).
Conciousness is the reflection of objective world in human mind. Its only source is material world. This is one aspect. The other aspect is : once consciousness emerges, it also influences matter. After we become conscious of any object, we also begin to transform it. Moreover, even when objective condition changes, consciousness does not die immediately, but it continues to influence the course of development of matter. After feudalism and capitalism are abolished, the objective basis of feudal and capitalist consciousness mainly ceases to exist, but inspite of this, feudal and bourgeois consciousness remain and act as a barrier in the development of society. In the same manner when a new objective condition arises, it gives birth to new consciousness which gives a new impetus to social development. Hence Marx said, “Idea becomes a material force when it is grasped by the masses.”
Hence materialist outlook tells us that we should not search out for “pure proletarians,” “pure peasants” or “pure intellectuals” because “pure proletariat” is a generalised name of various qualities found in individual members of proletariat class and the same is true for “pure peasants” and “pure intellectuals” also. Contrary to this, we should be competent in utilizing various worker, peasant and intellectual cadres according to their qualities and revolutionary Work is the generalised name of these works1. Similarly, “pure mass-movements” or “pure armed struggle” have also no concrete existence, but they are generalised names of various forms of mass movements and armed struggles. This is what we mean by correct handling of cadres and correct conduction of movements.
Second, during movements, we should not only constantly propagate new ideas emerging from these movements but we should carry on continuous struggle also against old ideas. Then only leap can be achieved objectively in the development of the movements.
Some people wander about in search of “pure cadres” and “pure movements” and therefore neither they become able to keep a single cadre, nor they become able to conduct any movement. They do not grasp the new ideas emerging from new objective developments and continue to repeat old stereotyped phrases. On the other hand, sometimes, in the name of new ideas, they refuse to recognise the ‘objective existence’ of old ideas and their ‘objectively negative impact’ on the development of the movement.
Correct utilisation of various types of forces in various types of movements according to concrete conditions and holding aloft the banner of new ideas by fighting against the objective existence of old ones — such is the characteristic of militant materialism.
3. According to materialist outlook, objective world is not something mysterious which cannot be cognised, but it is knowledgeable through practice. Human practice is continuously tearing the curtain of mystery apart.
During practice, men first acquire perceptual knowledge through their sense organs and then after synthesizing the data of perception by arranging, reconstructing them and thinking them over “men arrive at rational knowledge”. But the process of cognition does not end here. This is the first stage of cognition—the stage leading from objective matter to subjective consciousness, from existence to ideas. Whether or not one’s consciousness or ideas do correctly reflect the objective reality is not yet proved at this stage. Then comes the second stage of the process of cognition, the stage leading from consciousness back to matter, from ideas back to existence. As practice is the sole criterion of truth, by repeating this process again and again we acquire correct, authentic knowledge. But since objective world is itself moving, it is imperative to enrich our knowledge from time to time – hence this process never ends.
On the authenticity of knowledge. Engels wrote: “If we were able to prove the correctness of our conception of a natural process by making it ourselves, bringing it into being out of its conditions and making it serve our own purpose into bargain, then there is an end to the Kantian ungraspable ‘thing-in-itself’ … For three hundred years the Copernican solar system was a hypothesis … But when Leverrier, by means of data provided by this system, not only deduced the necessity of existence of an unknown planet, but also calculated the position in the heavens which this planet must necessarily occupy, and when Galle really found this planet, the Copernican system was proved.”
Hence, practice is the source of all knowledge. To learn swimming, it is imperative to jump into the river. So about political struggle and armed struggle, only through repeated practice one can acquire correct knowledge; and mistakes committed in this period are the inevitable part of the process of acquiring knowledge. Hence, militant materialism inspires us to work, to involve in practice, to face storms and stresses; out of fear of occurring mistakes it never prevents us from doing work. Moreover, materialists, first of all, lay emphasis on concrete practical unity and exchange of experiences, while patients of idealist disease emphasise on abstract theory or formula and avoid exchange of experiences.
