TheOne Divides into Two (simplified Chinese:一分为二;traditional Chinese:一分為二;pinyin:yīfēnwéi'èr) controversy was an ideological debate about the nature ofcontradiction that took place in China in 1964.[1] The concept originated in Lenin'sPhilosophical Notebooks and was often repeated as part ofMao Zedong's interpretation ofdialectical materialism. The philosopherYang Xianzhen originated the idea of "Two Unites into One", which he said was the primary law ofdialectics. TheMaoists interpreted this to mean thatcapitalism could be united withsocialism, or that contradictory, inherently antagonistic forces could be harmonious: in both cases Yang was cast as someone condoning reconciliation and capitulation with counter-revolutionary forces and ideas.[2]Ai Siqi wrote the original attack on Yang, and was joined byMao himself.Wang Ruoshui also contributed to the attack. After 1976, Yang was officiallyrehabilitated, along with the concept of two uniting into one.[3]
Thechengyu phrase "一分为二" arose in theTaisu version of theHuangdi Neijing.
This phrase is derived from the formulation given byVladimir Lenin in hisPhilosophical Notebooks; "The splitting of a single whole and the cognition of its contradictory parts ... is the essence ... of dialectics."[4]
Alain Badiou, during his Maoist phase, would use the principle of One Divides into Two to criticize the philosophy ofGilles Deleuze.[5][additional citation(s) needed]
From the Jinggang Mountains to the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong's thought is formulated against the current, as the work of division," Badiou summarizes in hisThéorie de la contradiction (1975), before identifying Mao's logic of scission as a prime example of dialectical thinking: "Rebel thinking if there ever was one, revolted thinking of the revolt: dialectical thinking.
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