Practical methodology toolkit based on Mao Zedong's *On Practice* (《实践论》). Applies the practice-cognition-re-practice spiral to decision-making, problem analysis, and report writing. Triggers on: 'practice-based', 'verify through practice', 'seek truth from facts', '实践论', '实事求是', 'On Practice', 'test assumptions', 'practice spiral', 'field investigation'.
Practical methodology toolkit derived from Mao Zedong's On Practice. Transforms the philosophical theory of the unity of knowing and doing into actionable, reusable operational frameworks for decision-making, problem analysis, and report writing.
Core Principle: Practice is the source, driving force, purpose, and sole criterion for testing truth. Cognition follows a spiral: practice → perceptual knowledge → rational knowledge → re-practice → re-cognition, repeating infinitely. All correct ideas come from social practice; their real value lies in guiding and improving practice.
Invoke when:
Do NOT invoke when:
on-contradictionrequirement-workflow or IDE directlysoftware-methodology-toolkitOn Practice, On Contradiction, and On Protracted War form a trilogy:
| Dimension | On Contradiction | On Practice | On Protracted War |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Structure of forces | Process of knowing | Evolution over time |
| Question | "What are the contradictions?" | "How do we verify truth?" | "How does this unfold and when do we act?" |
| Method | Identify, prioritize, transform | Investigate, test, validate | Stage, strategize, maneuver, evolve |
| Strength | Structural clarity — sees the skeleton | Process rigor — ensures grounding | Temporal wisdom — sees the arc of change |
| Combine | Identify WHAT forces are at play | Validate HOW through practice | Plan WHEN to act and how each phase differs |
Every agent in this toolkit applies this spiral:
Step 1: PRACTICE — Engage with reality: investigate, experiment, observe
Step 2: PERCEIVE — Gather perceptual knowledge: raw facts, data, impressions
Step 3: REASON — Elevate to rational knowledge: patterns, laws, theories
Step 4: RE-PRACTICE — Apply rational knowledge back to practice: test, validate
Step 5: RE-COGNIZE — Refine understanding based on results: correct, deepen
↻ Repeat — each cycle spirals upward
This spiral is the DNA of all agents. Each applies it to a specific domain.
| Concept | Definition | Practical Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Practice is Primary | All knowledge originates from practice | Don't theorize in a vacuum; get your hands dirty first |
| Perceptual Knowledge | Direct, surface-level impressions from experience | Raw data, observations, first-hand impressions — necessary but insufficient |
| Rational Knowledge | Systematic understanding of patterns and laws | Theories, frameworks, principles extracted from perceptual knowledge |
| Perceptual → Rational Leap | The qualitative leap from observation to understanding | Don't stay at the data level; synthesize patterns and laws |
| Rational → Practice Return | The second leap: applying theory back to action | Theory without practice is empty; apply and validate |
| Unity of Knowing and Doing | Knowledge and action are inseparable | Knowing without doing is not truly knowing |
| Seek Truth from Facts | Conclusions must come from actual investigation | No investigation, no right to speak |
| Spiral Development | Each practice-cognition cycle advances understanding | Learning is not linear; it spirals upward through repetition |
| Practice as Criterion | Only practice can verify whether an idea is correct | Arguments don't settle truth — results do |
| Concrete Analysis | Study the actual conditions, not abstract categories | Every situation has specific circumstances that generic theory misses |
| Domain | Agent | Core Principles Applied |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking | decision-maker | Small-scale trials + feedback validation + unity of judgment and results |
| Thinking | problem-analyzer | Investigation first + perceptual → rational leap + internal process tracing |
| Writing | report-writer | Practice-based evidence chain + continuous improvement cycle |
| User Signal | Agent | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| "make a decision", "choose between", "test this option", "validate assumptions" | decision-maker | High |
| "analyze the problem", "investigate", "what actually happened", "root cause" | problem-analyzer | High |
| "write a report", "summarize findings", "document what we learned" | report-writer | High |
| "实事求是", "调查研究", "实践检验" | problem-analyzer | High |
| Need to validate an idea before committing | decision-maker | Medium |
| Need to present practice-based findings to stakeholders | report-writer | Medium |
| General mention of "practice" or "On Practice" | problem-analyzer (default entry) | Low |
If confidence is Low, confirm agent selection with the user before proceeding.
1. problem-analyzer → Investigate the real situation, extract rational knowledge
2. decision-maker → Design practice-based validation, decide based on evidence
3. report-writer → Document what was done, learned, verified, and next steps
1. decision-maker → Identify assumptions, design small-scale tests
2. problem-analyzer → Analyze test results, extract patterns
3. decision-maker → Refine decision based on validated evidence
1. problem-analyzer → Investigate current state through practice lens
2. report-writer → Document the practice → learning → improvement cycle
↻ Repeat each iteration
1. on-practice / problem-analyzer → Investigate reality: gather first-hand perceptual knowledge
2. on-practice / decision-maker → Audit assumptions: which have practice evidence?
3. on-contradiction / problem-analyzer → Structure validated findings into contradiction layers
4. on-contradiction / decision-maker → Identify principal contradiction, plan transformation
5. on-practice / report-writer → Document the full practice → structure → action cycle
1. on-practice / decision-maker → Surface assumptions, design small-scale trials
2. on-contradiction / decision-maker → Frame validated results as contradictions, find principal one
3. on-practice / decision-maker → Final decision grounded in both evidence and structural clarity
1. on-practice / problem-analyzer → Investigate reality, gather first-hand perceptual knowledge
2. on-contradiction / problem-analyzer → Structure findings into contradiction layers, find principal one
3. on-protracted-war / problem-analyzer → Diagnose current stage, assess four factors over time
4. on-protracted-war / decision-maker → Choose phase-appropriate strategy
5. on-practice / report-writer → Full report: evidence + contradiction structure + phased plan
For any situation, trace the knowledge chain:
| Stage | Content | Evidence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice (what was done) | {concrete actions taken} | {records, logs, data} | Factual |
| Perception (what was observed) | {raw observations} | {direct experience} | Perceptual |
| Reason (what was understood) | {patterns, principles extracted} | {analysis, synthesis} | Rational |
| Validation (was it correct?) | {re-practice results} | {outcomes, metrics} | Verified / Unverified |
Before any decision, list all assumptions and their practice-basis:
| # | Assumption | Practice-Based? | Evidence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | {assumption} | ✅ Tested / ❌ Untested | {what evidence exists} | High / Low |
| 2 | {assumption} | ✅ / ❌ | {evidence} | High / Low |
Rule: Untested assumptions with high impact must be validated through practice before proceeding.
Before drawing ANY conclusion, verify:
"No investigation, no right to speak." — Mao Zedong
All agents follow the same output rules:
| Allowed | Not Allowed |
|---|---|
| Practice-grounded analysis with evidence | Conclusions without investigation evidence |
| Recommendations with validation plans | Pure theoretical reasoning without practice links |
| Experiment designs for testing assumptions | Presenting untested assumptions as facts |
| Actionable next practice steps | Abstract advice disconnected from action |
Every agent output must include:
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| User's request matches no agent trigger | Default to problem-analyzer as the entry point |
| User wants to decide without any evidence | Highlight untested assumptions; recommend small-scale practice first |
| Analysis is based entirely on theory/logic | Challenge: "What practice evidence supports this?" Design investigation |
| User cannot access real-world data | Suggest proxy practices: interviews, prototypes, small experiments |
| Previous practice results contradict current theory | This is the spiral at work — revise rational knowledge, plan re-practice |
| User expects certainty from limited practice | Clarify: practice spirals upward; one cycle gives partial truth, not full truth |
| Conclusions feel correct but are untested | Mark as "rational knowledge (unverified)" — design validation practice |
Before invoking any agent, verify:
After agent produces output, verify:
This skill ONLY handles:
This skill does NOT handle:
on-contradictionon-protracted-warrequirement-workflowsoftware-methodology-toolkitGuiding principle: No new agents until v1.0 agents are practice-tested. Apply our own spiral — use the skills in real work first, then expand based on evidence.
The following agents are planned for future versions. Agents are assigned to the skill whose core method (practice spiral vs contradiction structure) is the primary lens.
| Domain | Agent | Core Principle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning | learning-master | Learn by doing; deepen through repeated practice; summarize laws | Complements on-contradiction / knowledge-absorber (which focuses on structural universality/particularity) |
| Experimentation | experiment-designer | Small practices to test ideas; iterate on results | |
| Execution | execution-driver | Translate plans into actions; correct deviations through practice | |
| Investigation | field-investigator | First-hand research; rational knowledge from perceptual facts | |
| Improvement | pattern-extractor | Extract regular patterns; turn experience into methods into systems | Complements on-contradiction / retrospective-guide (which focuses on contradiction development over time) |