p In opposition to all the forms of idealism, and of tricky compromises between materialism and idealism, the basic teachings of materialism can be formulated very simply and clearly.

p To grasp the essence of these teachings we should also understand what are the main assertions made in every form of idealism. There are three such main assertions of idealism.

p 1. Idealism asserts that the material world is dependent on the spiritual.

p 2. Idealism asserts that spirit, or mind, or idea, can and does exist in separation from matter. (The most extreme form of this assertion is subjective idealism, which asserts that matter does not exist at all but is pure illusion.)

p 3. Idealism asserts that there exists a realm of the mysterious and unknowable, "above," or "beyond," or “behind” what can be ascertained and known by perception, experience and science.

p The basic teachings of materialism stand in opposition to these three assertions of idealism.

p 1. Materialism teaches that the world is by its very nature material, that everything which exists comes into being 23 on the basis of material causes, arises and develops in accordance with the laws of motion of matter.

p 2. Materialism teaches that matter is objective reality existing outside and independent of the mind; and that far from the mental existing in separation from the material, everything mental or spiritual is a product of material processes.

p 3. Materialism teaches that the world and its laws are fully knowable, and that while much may not be known there is nothing which is by nature unknowable.

p The Marxist-Leninist philosophy is characterized by its absolutely consistent materialism all along the line, by its making no concessions whatever at any point to idealism. Thus Stalin points out:

p “(a) Contrary to idealism, which regards the world as the embodiment of an ’absolute idea,’ a ’universal spirit,’ ’ consciousness,’ Marx’s philosophical materialism holds that the world is by its very nature material, that the multifold phenomena of the world constitute different forms of matter in motion . . . and that the world develops in accordance with the laws of movement of matter and stands in no need of a ’universal spirit.’

p “(b) Contrary to idealism, which asserts that only our mind really exists . . . the Marxist materialist philosophy holds that matter, nature, being is an objective reality existing outside and independent of our mind; that matter is primary, since it is the source of sensations, ideas, mind, and that mind is secondary, derivative, since it is a reflection of matter, a reflection of being; that thought is a product of matter which in its development has reached a high degree of perfection, namely, of the brain, and the brain is the organ of thought; and that, therefore, one cannot separate thought from matter without committing a grave error.

“ (c) Contrary to idealism, which denies the possibility of knowing the world and its laws . . . Marxist philosophical materialism holds that the world and its laws are fully knowable, that our knowledge of the laws of nature, tested by experiment and practice, is authentic knowledge having the validity of objective truth, and that there are no things in the world which are unknowable, but only things which are still not known, but which will be disclosed and made known by the efforts of science and practice.”  [23•1