Reading Diary

(February 1 – April 1, 1938)

I have not kept a diary for twenty years. Today I begin again, in order to spur myself to pursue a bit of learning.

Reading Li Da’s *Outline of Sociology*. From January 17 to yesterday, finished the first part, Materialist Dialectics, from pages 1 to 385. Today, begin reading the second part, Historical Materialism as a Science, pages 387 to 416.

2nd

Did not read.

3rd

Did not read.

4th

Did not read.

5th

Pages 417–457.

6th

Pages 458–472. Second part finished. Third part, The Economic Structure of Society, begins on page 473, ends on page 484.

7th

Pages 485–491.

8th

Pages 492–506.

9th

Pages 507–550.

10th

Pages 551–560.

11th

Pages 561–596.

12th

Pages 597–624.

13th to 19th

Did not read.

20th

Pages 625–640. The Economic Structure of Society finished. The Political Superstructure of Society begins, pages 641–642.

21st

Pages 643–679.

22nd

Pages 681–728.

23rd

Pages 729–739.

24th

Did not read.

25th

Pages 740–757.

26th to March 2nd

Did not read.

March 3rd

Pages 758–780.

4th

Did not read.

5th

Pages 781–786. Fifth part, The Ideology of Society.

6th to 8th

Did not read.

9th

Pages 787–789.

10th to 14th

Did not read.

15th

Pages 790–830.

16th

Pages 831–852. This book finished.

17th

Did not read.

18th

Began reading Clausewitz’s[1] *On War*. Pages 1–19, preface and table of contents. Part One, On the Nature of War, begins on page 24. Today finished Chapter 1, ending on page 55.

19th

Did not read.

20th

Pages 57–91.

21st

Pages 92–102.

22nd

Did not read.

23rd

Pages 103–111.

24th

Did not read.

25th

Comrade Pan Zinian[1] sent me a copy of his *Logic and Logics*[2]. Today read to page 93, quite refreshing.

26th

Pan’s book, pages 94–174.

27th

Pages 175–204. Finished.

28th

*On War*, pages 112–122.

29th

Did not read.

30th

Did not read.

31st

Pages 123–167.

April 1st

Pages 168–

--- Notes

[1] Clausewitz (1780–1831), now transliterated as Clausewitz. Prussian general, bourgeois military writer. Formerly served as director of the Berlin War Academy. Works include *On War*, etc.


[1] Pan Zinian (1893–1972), native of Yixing, Jiangsu. Chinese philosopher, cultural propaganda worker of the Communist Party of China. After the start of the War of Resistance Against Japan, from 1938 onward served as president of the *Xinhua Daily* in Wuhan and Chongqing.


[2] *Logic and Logics*, authored by Pan Zinian, published in October 1937. When reprinted in 1938, the title was changed to *Logic and Logical Technique*. The edition Mao Zedong read was the first printing from 1937. The book primarily explores the relationship between dialectics and formal logic, dividing logic into two parts: methodology (logics) and technique (logical technique). Although it did not completely overcome the shortcoming of conflating formal logic with metaphysics, it did not wholly negate formal logic but rather transformed and utilized it. This differed greatly from the view prevalent in 1930s Soviet philosophy textbooks, which completely equated formal logic with metaphysics.