For All Who Distort Marx: On "Marx Is Not a Marxist"

Some people with meager knowledge think that Li Ao discovered Marx said "Marx is not a Marxist." In fact this has long been common knowledge, appearing more than once in the collected works. The key is not whether this is a fact -- because it obviously is -- but how to understand this fact.

Li Ao opposes Marx, and so naturally uses this as ammunition to slander Marx. But this only proves his academic dishonesty! Marx said these words against a very real backdrop: at the time, many people were peddling their own goods under the banner of Marxism, so that the term "Marxism" had already come to encompass too many complex phenomena. If Marx had said he was a Marxist, it would inevitably become ammunition for many with ulterior motives, who would then peddle this logic: "Marx says he is a Marxist, and we are Marxists, therefore we are Marx's successors, and our ideas are Marx's ideas." And this kind of thing has persisted ever since.

Marx naturally could not allow this situation. So he very clearly stated "Marx is not a Marxist," because this undefined "Marxism" was itself a logical trap! Furthermore, Marx's theory is grounded in reality, not a set of abstract dogmas. What matters most about Marx is his method, not unchanging rules. All who practice using Marx's method are truly in accordance with Marx's thought. Reality is constantly changing. "Marx is not a Marxist" precisely reflects Marx's thoroughgoing critical spirit and groundedness in reality -- it is a brilliant proposition of Marxian thought. Those who, like Li Ao, attempt to distort and falsify merely reveal their own ignorance and low quality.

Marx's theory is a rigorous system. Please do not comment on it carelessly!