When Chairman Mao listened to ×××’s report on academic discussions and the publicity efforts surrounding the study of Selected Works of Mao Zedong, he offered several comments. Comrade Zhou Enlai, along with ××× and ×××, were also present during the briefing.

Chairman Mao said: The People’s Daily should engage in theoretical work; it cannot confine itself solely to politics. After hearing ×××’s report on the People’s Daily’s organization of certain academic discussions, the Chairman remarked that this was a good approach. He then asked whether the People’s Daily had published any articles on educational reform. He suggested that an article from the Wen Hui Bao titled “It Is Impossible to Know Everything” might be worth reading and could be reprinted.

Regarding the study of Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Lin Biao’s proposal remained valid (referring to “studying with questions in mind, learning flexibly and applying knowledge practically, integrating study with application, prioritizing what is urgently needed, and achieving immediate results”). One should not impose the same standards on the general public as on professional theoreticians; much of the material can yield tangible benefits right away.

Comrade Zhou Enlai mentioned that grassroots cadres in Sichuan had achieved very good results by studying such articles as “The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains” and “Serve the People.”

Turning to the discussion in the People’s Daily on “the philosophy of the table,” the Chairman observed: Ideas originate in practice. People gradually develop the notion of a table by looking at mounds of earth, piles of stones, or other objects. Constructing a table elevates this idea to a higher level—an important leap forward. Yet once the table is actually made, it differs from the original conception, representing yet another step and another leap. He suggested that Comrade Wang Ruoshui write an article to clarify and correct certain points.

When ××× commented on this discussion, he stated: It is incorrect to say, as some articles have done, that all man-made things first exist as ideas; that would amount to idealism.

×× added that the newspaper ought to publish both sides of the debate.

(According to ×××, the newspaper’s theory page has recently carried a number of such discussions, but the Chairman has not yet formed the impression that there has been any real improvement. Consequently, Comrade Kang Sheng proposed deciding to affix a sign reading “Academic Research” to the academic page and to plan for it to appear twice a week.)