MOULDING THE NEW MAN - Scientific Philosophy and the Struggle Against Hostile Ideology
Marxist-Leninist philosophy is a harmonious and integral system of views about the world—nature and society, the laws of their development, the ways and means of knowing these laws and using them to remake nature and society. It is a special form of spiritual activity, a special form of reflecting reality, a form which expresses man’s attitude to nature and his social environment. Underlying this philosophy is man’s vital need to get his bearings in the reality around him, his need to know this reality and change it in his own interests.
Inasmuch as it stems from recognition of the material world and from the recognition that this world is continuously changing and developing, it is a dialectical materialist outlook. In addition, it is a communist outlook because it is indissolubly linked up with the struggle for the lofty ideals of communism; more than that, it issues from the struggle of the proletariat and all other working people for socialism and communism. Providing the theoretical basis for the struggle of the working people, this scientific outlook is, at the same time, a compass showing the road to deliverance from exploitation and oppression of every kind, the road to complete economic and social equality, to a really happy future.
Formation of a Scientific World Outlook
With the establishment of socialism the scientific outlook becomes the predominant philosophy; in other words, it is accepted by a considerable number of people who form the advanced and most conscious section of society. The building of communism makes it objectively necessary for all its members without exception to master the fundamentals of this philosophy.
This is understandable, because the complex problems involved in communist construction can be resolved only by highly conscious people who know the laws of social development, understand the domestic and international situation, have a precise idea of the tasks confronting the country and are active in carrying out these tasks. Modern scientific and technical progress, particularly the rapid development of natural science, whose achievements require of natural scientists not only profound comprehension but also a sound philosophical training, is another factor making it imperative for people to master the scientific outlook. Lastly, the scientific outlook is the sharpest ideological weapon in the struggle against idealist and religious philosophies, in the struggle against ideological adversaries.
Communist construction not only makes it absolutely necessary, but also provides real possibilities for every member of society to acquire a scientific view of reality. The far-reaching social, economic and cultural changes that have followed in the wake of the triumph of socialism in the Soviet Union, the abolition of social and national oppression, the broad development of socialist democracy and the tremendous achievements in education, science and culture form that realistic foundation, which makes it possible to educate all people in the spirit of the scientific outlook.
The scientific outlook takes shape on the foundation of Marxism-Leninism as a harmonious system of philosophical, economic, social and political views. Therefore, in order to master the scientific outlook one must first master the fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism and learn to apply them creatively to practical affairs.
Insofar as the scientific outlook is a dialectical materialist philosophy, the decisive role in its formation is played by Marxist-Leninist philosophy, by dialectical and historical materialism. Marxist philosophy provides man with a scientific method and means of explaining the diverse phenomena of nature and social life. It thereby enables man to arrive at a correct and principled assessment of the developments around him, understand his place in life and in the fulfilment of the tasks facing society and to behave accordingly. By forming man’s attitude to the world, philosophy teaches him how to act and makes him confident that he can know and change the world.
To master the scientific outlook-, also means to master Marxist-Leninist economic theory. By revealing the laws governing the decisive sphere of human activity, namely, the sphere of material production, this theory enables man to organise economic life and, on that foundation, change all the diverse social relations for his own benefit. In his practical work he is rendered invaluable assistance by the theory of scientific communism, which not only gives a picture of the bright future of society but also shows concretely how to build it.
The key achievements of natural science are a vital element of the scientific outlook. These achievements provide the natural scientific foundation of philosophy, for they reveal the laws of natural development and allow man to harness natural processes and tap fabulous wealth. Therefore, to master the scientific outlook means to master the fundamentals not only of Marxist-Leninist theory but also of natural sciences. Marxism-Leninism and natural sciences give a scientific outlook on reality only when they are inseverably united.
The formation of a scientific outlook in the course of communist construction is a natural process that takes place thanks to the building of the material and technical basis of communism and the fashioning of communist social relations. It is framed by a system of ideological 306organisations and educational institutions (general education and special secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, political education, people’s universities of culture, and so forth).
Atheistic Education
An essential feature of the scientiflc outlook is its atheism. The formation of the scientific, communist outlook is. therefore directly linked up with atheistic education.
The Soviet Union is the first country in the world where atheism has been accepted by the bulk of the population. Most of the people have released themselves from the fetters of religion. But in Soviet society religion still lives in the minds of a section of the people.
Belief in God, in an after-life, distracts religious people from vital terrestrial problems and prevents them from actively participating in the life of society. Some religious rites are harmful to health. Religious morality with its doctrine of non-resistance blunts the class feeling of religious people.
With regard to the attitude to religion the Constitution of the U.S.S.R. guarantees freedom of conscience.
Soviet society’s natural advance towards communism serves as the objective foundation for surmounting religious views. Life itself, the practice of active construction, the colossal changes, the breath-taking plans, the fructifying spirit of creative work and the successes of science, technology and culture force many believers to modify their views.
The content and purpose of atheistic education is to disseminate scientific, materialist knowledge and free believers from the influence of religion, of all superstitions and prejudices. The main feature of scientific atheistic propaganda is that it presents well-argued facts in a manner that can be understood by all people.
Struggle Against Bourgeois Ideology
The formation of a scientific outlook, like communist education generally necessarily presupposes a struggle against bourgeois ideology.
Having suffered crushing defeats in the political and military arenas and meeting with one setback after another in the economic competition with socialism, imperialism now counts mainly on a struggle in ideology and attacks 307the ideological positions of socialism. In the ideological war the imperialist bourgeoisie seeks to defend the capitalist system, embellish the facade of its ramshackle edifice, keep the working masses in the grip of bourgeois ideas and, at the same time, discredit the socialist system, demolish Marxism-Leninism and sow distrust for the ideas of communism and the policies of the socialist countries.
The theoreticians of imperialism are doing their utmost to revitalise their senile ideological weapon, somehow to camouflage the fact that the imperialist bourgeoisie has no ideas that can attract the masses and thereby offset the influence of communist ideas. Today not many people believe the tales that capitalism is changing into a “people’s capitalism”, into a “welfare state”. This is giving birth to new concepts, the most important of which is the bourgeois theory of a “united industrial community”. According to this theory, capitalism, as such, has disappeared, having been superseded by an “industrial community" with no class contradictions and whose laws are determined solely by technological progress and not by social relations or by the forms of ownership. Technical progress, the utilisation of technology and the extent to which it serves people are, as we know, determined by the nature of the social system. Hence, in capitalist society, technical progress is a source of further super-profits for a handful of monopolists, and of hardship and suffering for millions of working people.
The main goal of the imperialist politicians and theoreticians is to move the ideological struggle directly into the territory of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, influence the minds of Soviet people, and, with the aid of the backward section of Soviet society, plant ideas and principles that are alien to the socialist system and way of life. They believe that this can be achieved in the socialist countries by utilising survivals of the past—nationalist and religious prejudices, individualism and money-grubbing. They hope to resurrect these survivals by cultivating weaknesses, still inherent in a section of Soviet society, such as an aspiration for luxury, vanity, envy, selfinterest, worship for money and goods, and so forth.
Communist education therefore necessarily presupposes a relentless struggle against reactionary imperialist ideology. Any belittlement of this struggle implies a weakening of 308the position of socialist ideology and damages the work of communist construction, and of moulding the new man.
By combating bourgeois ideology, the Communist Party liberates the masses from the influence of all kinds of bourgeois ideas, manners and customs and disseminates the advanced ideas of Marxism-Leninism, of scientific communism.
Education Through Labour
Core of Communist Education
The communist, scientific outlook means not only knowledge of the laws of social development but also the ability to apply these laws in the practical work of remaking nature and society, of securing uninterrupted social progress. Reality can be changed and the new, communist society built only through the labour of man, only through the establishment of a communist approach to labour and, therefore, through labour education, which is a vital component in the moulding of a new man. Moreover, education through labour is the core of communist education, because all of a man’s intellectual, moral and aesthetic qualities are developed in the course of labour. Creative labour is indispensable for industrial, technological and cultural progress and for the development of man himself.
Inculcation of Respect for All Useful Work
The prime objective of education through labour is to inculcate respect for all forms of socially useful work, both physical and intellectual, to surmount the scornful attitude to physical work and also the philistine attitude that mental work is easy and useless. The fusing of mental and physical work in production is the goal of the Party’s general line aimed at changing the nature of work, teaching people to take a communist approach to labour and moulding the new man.
The distinction between mental and physical work is being erased in the Soviet Union, but, regretfully, there still are people who think that mental work is easy and clean while physical work is thankless and dirty and inferior. These people forget that mental and physical work are themselves heterogeneous.
We talk a lot about the atomic age and sometimes lay much too much stress on the industry of the future in the belief that man’s role will be reduced to the pressing of buttons. Yet all of us know that no robot can replace professions in which the human heart, kindness, cordiality, attention and artistic taste find expression. Of course, in the not too distant future, man will be delivered from arduous labour. This is something we are still looking forward to. Socialism has opened broad highways and the most diverse possibilities for man. There are so many of these highways and these possibilities are so great that they dazzle some people. In particular, this applies to young people lacking experience. Society has therefore to help people, especially young people, to choose their road in life in accordance with their personal qualities and talents.
Many factors influence the choice of a profession: the working conditions, the wage or salary, the popularity and importance of the profession, personal inclinations, and the advice of other people. Society creates opinion about each profession, attracting people’s attention to those which are the most important at the given stage of social development.
Every profession has its good and bad workers. In popularising a profession, attention should be drawn not to the profession generally but to its leading representatives. There is hardly a profession that does not afford the opportunity for creative work, contemplation and improvement. The task, therefore, is not simply to teach a profession—that is not difficult—but to make certain that the person concerned completely masters this profession so that he can work creatively.
Respect for thinking, for the 15,000 million neurons “eager for work”, as was noted by a reader of Komsomolskaya Pravda, signifies respect for one’s profession and opens the door to limitless professional and general improvement. There is room for creative work and thinking in all fields of endeavour: a machine-tool means as much to a good, thinking worker as an instrument does to a scientist or a music score to a conductor.
Every person must study his profession and analyse its potentialities and prospects. This will help not only to get rid more quickly of professions that are noncreative and without prospects but also to bring to light the creative potentialities of other professions. This is the only way to attract people to professions required by society and make people feel satisfied with their work.
Moral Education
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