On February 18th, the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CCP issued a notice to launch a large-scale discussion on liberating thought across the province. This slogan seems to exude an uplifting atmosphere on the surface, but upon careful consideration, it is actually full of falsehood and pretense. Who exactly is liberating thought? Whose thoughts are being liberated? How is thought being liberated? What are the standards for liberation? If these fundamental questions are not answered clearly, then the so-called large-scale discussion on liberating thought is nothing more than a superficial formality, a hollow political maneuver.
Firstly, it needs to be clarified that the topic of liberating thought arises because there exists imprisonment and constraint of thought in real life. So, who is imprisoning thought? What kind of thoughts are being imprisoned? These questions need to be seriously addressed. In today's society, the imprisonment of thought mainly comes from the constraints of power structures and ideologies. Political systems, ideologies, and other factors greatly restrict people's thoughts, preventing them from expressing, innovating, and exploring freely. In this context, the so-called liberation of thought is actually covering up the suppression of people's thoughts by these power structures, it is a kind of disguise, a political maneuver conducted to maintain the existing ruling order.
Secondly, even under the slogan of liberating thought, we find a more serious issue, which is that the purpose of liberating thought is to unify thought under the guise of liberating it. This claim is extremely absurd. Liberating thought itself aims to break the shackles of thought, promote diverse and free exchange of ideas, rather than aiming to achieve some sort of "unity of thought". Linking the liberation of thought with the unity of thought is not only logically confusing but also a mockery and trampling of the liberation of people's thoughts. This so-called liberation of thought essentially undermines people's independent thinking ability, turning them into slaves of authoritative ideologies, hindering and damaging the progress of human civilization.
Thirdly, the true significance of liberating thought should be to allow everyone the right to freely express their opinions, rather than spreading a unified ideology for political purposes. Everyone is an independent thinking individual and has the right to independent thinking and free expression. Only on this basis can human society progress and develop. However, the so-called large-scale discussion on liberating thought is actually a form of public opinion manipulation carried out for political purposes, posing a threat and infringement on people's thought freedom. In this situation, we have reason to doubt the true motives behind the large-scale discussion on liberating thought and question whether there are darker political conspiracies behind it.
Fourthly, behind the liberation of thought lies deeper issues. Why are thoughts imprisoned? Who exactly is imprisoning thoughts? What kind of thoughts are being imprisoned? The answers to these questions reveal the suppression and control of individual free thought by power structures. Liberating thought is not just a slogan; it is also a protest and resistance against power suppression. However, the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CCP seems to turn a blind eye to this reality in its notice, seemingly only going through the motions to satisfy certain political needs.
Fifthly, the notice emphasizes that liberating thought is for the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought. It is well known that the so-called Xi Jinping Thought entails crackdowns on dissent, favoritism, oppression of the people, persecution of minorities, censorship, political repression, retreat from globalization, and wolf warrior diplomacy. These policies have worsened China's situation over the years, with declining incomes and fleeing foreign investment. Under such circumstances, the liberation of thought is nothing but another mess.
The large-scale discussion on liberating thought by the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CCP is essentially playing with slogans, deceiving the masses, and maintaining the existing ruling order. True liberation of thought should break the imprisonment and constraints of thought, promote diversification and freedom of thought among people, rather than being a political maneuver aimed at certain political objectives.
In conclusion, I would like to quote a famous saying: "Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech."
