Comments and Annotations on
“A Philosophical Theory Defending the ‘Middle Position’” [I]
(June 27, 1958)
To be forwarded to Comrades Liu, Deng, Peng Zhen, Ding Yi, Kang Sheng, Bo Da, Qiao Mu, Hu Sheng, and Tian Jiaying[12] for their review; return to Jiang Qing.
Mao Zedong
June 27th
[I)
I hold that feelings such as joy, love, hatred, and aversion are shared by all. I treat everyone equally and with fairness, approaching matters impartially.

The vulgar sociological worldview of the petty bourgeoisie is extreme idealism, while the Doctrine of the Mean is mere hypocrisy.
Volume 39
Do not do unto others what you would not have them do to you; act kindly toward others, for kindness brings kindness in return. When I am good to others, they are likewise good to me. To make things easy for others is ultimately to make things easier for oneself. By avoiding disputes and competition, one can best maintain peace and stability, proceeding smoothly and successfully in all endeavors. Extreme individualism
Collected Works of Mao Zedong
Even when I remain silent in group meetings,
others delve deeply into discussion,
placing themselves at the center of attention.
I too do so.
Second, the middle path in one’s work style:
Neither striving for the very top nor settling at the bottom, but contentedly staying in the middle ranks. Rather than seeking merit, one should simply aim to avoid fault. For any achievement may involve giving credit where it is due, and it is difficult to attain success without, in some sense, exploiting the labor of others.
A With achievement comes the risk of personal ambition,
A inevitably accompanied by thoughts of fame and gain.
A Fault, on the other hand, is undesirable and requires self-criticism.
Third, on the political front:
1. In study, neither passive nor lagging behind, yet not remaining silent. When others speak enthusiastically, I join in with equal fervor. It is only through diligent study that one can truly master the subject; we should learn together as a group.
2. During various campaigns, neither taking the lead nor falling behind, but keeping pace with the masses—neither ahead nor behind—as the movement advances.
Anti-class struggle,
anti-dialectics
2. Regarding the issue of revering the past while dismissing the present, or favoring the West over China: whatever deserves emphasis should be emphasized, and whatever deserves criticism should be criticized. The past has its merits, just as the present does. China possesses valuable aspects, as does the West. Similarly, both the past and the present contain shortcomings. We ought to appraise the good as good and the bad as bad, avoiding subjective bias and refusing to allow the particular to stand in for the general.
4. On criticism and self-criticism:
When formal criticism and self-criticism are being conducted,
relativism,
compromise,
are brought up, I neither criticize others nor engage in self-criticism. If others are already criticizing each other, then I join in; if self-criticism is initiated,

Comments and Annotations on “A Philosophical Theory Defending the ‘Middle Position’”
then I too will participate in self-criticism. This is profoundly reactionary.
In short, following the majority is to walk the middle path, which can also lead one into socialism. Since the majority has entered socialism, and I remain among them, it naturally follows that I too have entered socialism.
The advantages of the middle path are:
1. One need not fear envy because of being overly admired;
2. One need not incur hatred due to being feared;
3. One need not be kept at a distance out of excessive respect;
4. One need not arouse suspicion simply because of being highly regarded.
Thus, one can accept reality as it is, strive for honor when possible, and retreat to avoid disgrace, bringing matters to a proper conclusion. Such individuals constitute a reserve force for the right wing; the more numerous they become, the more firmly the right wing will establish its dominance.

--- Notes

“A Philosophical Theory Defending the ‘Middle Position’” was published in the seventy-third issue of “Propaganda and Education Dynamics,” compiled and printed by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee on June 24, 1958. Mao Zedong wrote a brief comment on it, which constitutes this piece one, and also penned seven marginal notes in the blank spaces of the document. We have typeset Mao’s annotations alongside the original material; the single lines, double lines, wavy lines, triangles, and crosses are all markings made by Mao during his review.
[2]
Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Peng Zhen was then a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. Ding Yi is Lu Dingyi, who held the positions of head of the CPC Central Committee’s Cultural and Educational Leading Group and Minister of the Publicity Department. Kang Sheng was deputy head of the CPC Central Committee’s Cultural and Educational Leading Group. Bo Da is Chen Boda, who at the time was director of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Research Office. Qiao Mu is Hu Qiaomu, then an alternate member of the CPC Central Committee’s Secretariat. Hu Sheng was deputy director of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Research Office. Tian Jiaying was also a deputy director of the same office.
Comments and Annotations on “A Philosophical Theory Defending the ‘Middle Position’”
A Philosophical Theory Defending the “Middle Position”
The following is a heartfelt statement submitted by Associate Researcher XXX of the Railway Science Research Institute under the Ministry of Railways:
I believe:
(1) All things in the world objectively possess duality and inherent contradictions. Where there are two extremes, there must be a middle ground. For example: top–middle–bottom, left–middle–right, front–middle–back, thin–middle–thick. The middle represents the balance of contradictions and the unity of opposites.
×××
(2) Those entities that rely on extremes are always in the minority; the majority, however, exist in intermediate states. Therefore, what is universal, common, genuine, and rational is most vividly manifested in this majority—namely, the middle position—while the extremes are always few, special, partial, superficial, and non-representative.
A
(3) Even between the extremes there lies another middle. The middle path I follow is precisely the middle of the middle—a stance that is the most objective, the most prudent, the most comprehensive, and the most dialectical.
Based on the above views, I divide the middle path into two parts:
First, the middle path in one’s conduct and interactions with others:
I recognize myself as an ordinary person and place myself among the masses; by not seeking prominence, I avoid isolation.