Wu Ying: Leading the High-Quality Development of Philosophy and Social Sciences with a Correct Outlook on Performance Accomplishments
The issue of the outlook on achievements is a fundamental one, concerning the principle of "establishing the Party for the public and exercising power for the people." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward a series of important discourses surrounding the establishment and practice of a correct outlook on achievements, providing the fundamental follow-through for deeply studying, meticulously comprehending, establishing, and practicing this correct outlook. The philosophy and social sciences bear the important functions of understanding the world, inheriting civilization, innovating theory, providing political consultation and education, and serving society. For workers in the philosophy and social sciences, the key to establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements lies in firmly establishing the value position of "conducting scholarship for the people," [1] persisting in describing scholarship and establishing theories, and offering advice and suggestions for the Party and the people, thereby better shouldering the glorious mission bestowed by history.
Clarifying the Political Direction
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements profoundly elucidate the Party's political stance and governing philosophy. They vividly embody the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method, and incisively answer the fundamental questions of "for whom achievements are created, what kind of achievements should be created, and by what means achievements are created."
"For whom achievements are created" profoundly indicates the primary issue in testing a correct outlook on achievements. Leading officials must firmly establish an outlook on achievements that brings benefits to the people. For Communists, undertaking a cause and creating achievements is for the purpose of benefiting the people, not for personal promotion or individual gain or loss. The support of the people is the greatest politics. Our Party is a party that serves the people heart and soul, persists in establishing the Party for the public and exercising power for the people, and regards the people’s aspiration for a better life as its unswerving goal of struggle. Benefiting the people is the fundamental requirement of a correct outlook on achievements, and it clarifies that Party members and officials should take a correct outlook on achievements as their foundation for conduct and their value beacon.
"What kind of achievements should be created" profoundly indicates the goal and orientation of establishing a correct outlook on achievements. What we want is development with quality, efficiency, and sustainability; what we want is development supported by relatively full employment and the improvement of labor productivity, return on investment, and resource allocation rates. We must correctly apply the standard of productive forces to promote the realization of the unity between the continuous enrichment of material goods and the well-rounded development of individuals. We must clarify the inherent relationship between a correct outlook on achievements and high-quality development, emphasizing that establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements requires grasping the correct political direction and preventing any deviation or distortion.
"By what means achievements are created" profoundly indicates the scientific path for practicing a correct outlook on achievements. We must persist in the principle that "success does not have to happen during my tenure, but I must contribute to the ultimate success," [2] and create achievements through solid work. Without the spirit of solid work and the effort of moving forward one step at a time, no matter how grand the development goals are, they cannot be realized; no matter how beautiful the development blueprint is, it will only be a "castle in the air." In starting undertakings and building careers, Party members and officials must seek truth from facts and be pragmatic, with no room for the slightest superficiality. Acting according to laws and rules is a principle that Party members and officials must uphold. This clearly indicates that establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements is concrete and practical, manifesting as the high degree of self-awareness among Communists in the New Era in translating loyalty to the Party and the people into action.
The Great Significance of Firmly Establishing a Correct Outlook on the Cause
Today’s world is undergoing "changes unseen in a century," [3] and this process is accelerating. A new round of technological revolution, represented by artificial intelligence, big data, and large models, is not only profoundly reshaping human modes of production, lifestyles, and social forms, but also presenting unprecedented thematic tasks of the times for research in the philosophy and social sciences. We must firmly establish a correct outlook on the cause that is compatible with a correct outlook on achievements. We must persist in a people-centered approach and advocate for seeking truth from facts. We should not focus solely on papers, projects, or titles (the "three onlys"). Instead, we should emphasize academic quality, theoretical innovation, and social contribution, focusing research on the needs of the Party and the state, and striving to "write papers on the soil of the motherland." [4]
Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements is an inevitable requirement for meeting the increasing and multi-level needs of the people. The question of "for whom" is the fundamental and principled question of research in the philosophy and social sciences. With the rapid transformation and development of economy and society, the masses' demands for spiritual culture, theoretical cognition, and quality improvement are accelerating and upgrading. There is an urgent need for workers in the philosophy and social sciences to speak for the people, lead their academic pursuits with the realistic needs of the masses, pay attention to drawing rich nourishment from the masses, and answer the major concerns of the masses more accurately and effectively, thereby contributing the strength of social sciences to enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.
Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements is an inevitable requirement for serving the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is the only correct path for building a strong country and national rejuvenation. Philosophy and social sciences play an important role in promoting Chinese-path modernization. Centering on major national strategic needs and focusing on the systematic construction and academic explanation of the theory of Chinese-path modernization, there is an urgent need for the field of philosophy and social sciences to actively promote theoretical innovation based on practice. We must deeply answer the questions of "constructing Chinese-path modernization" and the "way to realize world modernization," enhance the international influence and discourse power of Chinese academia, and promote the independent innovation of philosophy and social sciences in the magnificent practice of advancing Chinese-path modernization.
Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements is an inevitable requirement for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences. Currently, a new round of scientific and technological revolution, represented by artificial intelligence, is advancing by leaps and bounds. Human society is undergoing historical changes, and there is an urgent need for philosophy and social sciences to hold high the lighthouse of civilization to illuminate the path forward for humanity. This is an era that needs theory and is certainly capable of producing theory; it is an era that needs ideas and is certainly capable of producing ideas. Taking China and the times as the object of observation, rooted in Chinese reality, solving Chinese problems, and forming a disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit has become the ultimate aim and orientation of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. We must have a strong problem-oriented awareness, focusing on new problems encountered in practice, deep-seated problems in reform, development, and stability, the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems of the masses, major problems in the international changes, and prominent problems facing Party building. We should actively carry out targeted and precise research, lead knowledge transformation and ideological change, and promote philosophy and social sciences to move in the same direction as the development of the times, injecting surging vitality into the flourishing development of world academic undertakings.
Implementing "Conducting Scholarship for the People"
As sciences that study the laws of human thought and various social fields, the philosophy and social sciences possess clear ideological, class, and social attributes. In establishing and practicing a correct outlook on achievements in the field of philosophy and social sciences, the key lies in always upholding the value position of "conducting scholarship for the people." We must keep the "top priorities of the nation" [5] in mind, combine a clear-cut political stance with the improvement of research levels, integrate individual research with the needs of the people, and merge individual academic ideals into the cause of the country and the nation. In this way, we realize our own value while describing scholarship, establishing theories, and offering advice and suggestions for the Party and the people with true talent and learning.
Upholding the academic direction. Persisting in taking Marxism as the guide is the fundamental hallmark that distinguishes contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences from others. We must persist in and strengthen the Party's overall leadership over the philosophy and social sciences, properly handle the relationship between politics and scholarship, and adhere to the correct political direction, academic orientation, and value orientation. We must cultivate a deep sentiment for the people, consciously study and apply the Marxist worldview and methodology, and continuously improve our ability to understand, observe, and solve problems. We must strengthen "position awareness" [6] and persist in the principle of "being responsible for the land under one's charge." We must enhance political resolve and theoretical literacy. When facing the impact of various erroneous viewpoints and trends of thought, we should not act as "enlightened gentlemen" [7] but must have the courage to refute them, clarify erroneous understandings, and clear the ideological mist, fully demonstrating the charm of truth and the power of practice that Marxism still possesses today.
Enhancing academic cultivation. The contemporary form of philosophy and social sciences is the result of the integration and generation of various kinds of knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods throughout history. Research in philosophy and social sciences requires a solid disciplinary theoretical foundation and rich historical and cultural knowledge. We must persist in the ambition of doing "great scholarship" and "true scholarship," truly unifying the cultivation of character, conduct, and scholarship. We must vigorously promote the spirit of scientists, understand what must be done, what should be strived for, and what must never be done. We must not seek quick success and instant benefits, play to the gallery, or produce shoddy work. We must persistently delve into "true problems" at the world academic frontier and in national development needs. With the persistence, dedication, and rigor captured by the phrase "be willing to sit on a cold bench for ten years, and never write a single empty line in an article," [8] we should produce more high-quality results that satisfy the Party and the people.
Advocating for academic innovation. Being in an era of great social change, China's philosophy and social sciences have entered a period of great development. To accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must adhere to the principle of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. Taking the "Two Combinations" [9] as the fundamental path, we must uphold the "soul-vein" of Marxism and the "root-vein" of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. We should highlight the unique value of philosophy and social sciences in consolidating the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. Taking Chinese reality as the starting point for research and Chinese culture as the deep and fertile soil, we should promote the innovation of knowledge, theory, and method in philosophy and social sciences, forming research results with independent characteristics, style, and spirit, so that the "logic of China" can shine brilliantly on the international academic stage.
Enhancing academic capacity. Currently, human society has entered a diversified and complex environment, which has endowed the concepts and categories of various disciplines with new connotations of the times. The mode of knowledge production in philosophy and social sciences urgently needs to be transformed to answer increasingly complex modern social problems. These problems often possess characteristics such as interdisciplinary intersectionality, cross-regional fluidity, and cross-domain integration, which place higher requirements on the capacity and level of philosophy and social science workers. We must keep pace with the times, strengthen investigation and research, expand academic horizons, and break through fixed thinking patterns. We must profoundly perceive the changes in China and the world. While emphasizing the accumulation of thought, literature, and life experience, we should improve our capabilities in original research, AI application, collaborative innovation, the transformation of results, and the dissemination of ideas. With a strong sense of social responsibility, a broad humanitarian sentiment, and a keen awareness of problems, we can better demonstrate academic responsibility in the New Era.
Purifying the academic ecosystem. The academic ecosystem is a dynamic system of interaction between academic subjects and the academic environment; its mechanism of action is to promote the sustainable balance of knowledge production, dissemination, and innovation. We must combine soft constraints with hard measures, and academic self-discipline with external discipline. We should make good use of artificial intelligence to assist in the innovation of research paradigms, optimize academic evaluation standards that comply with objective laws, improve the full-cycle construction of scientific research integrity and academic ethics education, and increase the punishment for academic misconduct. We must create a favorable public opinion atmosphere in society that respects innovation, encourages exploration, tolerates failure, and embraces diversity, providing a solid guarantee for the realization of high-quality development in philosophy and social sciences.