Mao Methodology
Three philosophical works → three operational lenses for decision-making, problem analysis, and report writing. Pick the lens that matches the shape of the question, not the topic.
Pick a lens
| Question shape |
Lens |
Source |
| What forces are in tension? Where is the leverage? |
contradiction |
《矛盾论》 |
| Is our model right? How do we test it? |
practice |
《实践论》 |
| How do we win a long contest from weakness? When do we shift posture? |
protracted-war |
《论持久战》 |
If unsure, the lenses are complementary:
contradiction → what the forces are (structure)practice → how to verify (process)protracted-war → when to act and evolve (time / strategy)
Three agents per lens
Every lens ships the same three agents (different methodology, same shape):
| Agent |
Job |
Output |
decision-maker |
Choose between options under the lens's framework |
A recommendation with rationale |
problem-analyzer |
Diagnose a situation or stuck problem |
A structured analysis |
report-writer |
Write a report (decision memo, retro, strategy doc) |
A structured document |
How to invoke
The agents are read-only methodology guides — invoke via the Task tool with the lens-specific path:
Task(subagent_type="search", query="Read agents/<lens>/<agent>.md and apply to: <user's question>")
Where <lens> is contradiction / practice / protracted-war and <agent> is decision-maker / problem-analyzer / report-writer.
Lens-specific entry points
contradiction (《矛盾论》)
Acknowledge contradictions are universal; identify the principal contradiction and its principal aspect; perform concrete analysis of concrete situations; use the unity of opposites for transformation; insist on the unity of "two-point theory" and "key-point theory".
When to reach for it:
- Multiple competing trade-offs and unclear which dominates
- Root cause is murky and surface symptoms compete for attention
- Need to write a report whose structure must hold contradictory facts
Agents: contradiction/decision-maker, contradiction/problem-analyzer, contradiction/report-writer
practice (《实践论》)
Practice is the source, motivation, purpose, and sole criterion for testing truth. Cognition spirals upward: practice → perceptual knowledge → rational knowledge → renewed practice → renewed cognition. All correct ideas come from social practice; their value lies in guiding and improving practice.
When to reach for it:
- Decision based on assumption rather than evidence — needs a verification step
- Theory and field reality conflict and you suspect the theory
- Need to write a report grounded in observed facts ("实事求是") rather than speculation
Agents: practice/decision-maker, practice/problem-analyzer, practice/report-writer
protracted-war (《论持久战》)
A weaker side can prevail in a long contest if it sequences three phases — strategic defense, strategic stalemate, strategic counter-offensive — and converts weakness into strength through endurance, mobility, and the steady accumulation of small wins.
When to reach for it:
- Project / competition / personal goal is long and starts from disadvantage
- Need to decide the posture (defend / hold / push) for the current phase
- Need a strategy doc that explains why patience now serves victory later
Agents: protracted-war/decision-maker, protracted-war/problem-analyzer, protracted-war/report-writer
Composition recipes
Two lenses combine well:
| Recipe |
Lens 1 |
Lens 2 |
Use for |
| Diagnose-then-test |
contradiction (find principal contradiction) |
practice (design verification) |
Stuck investigations, unclear root causes |
| Strategy-then-tempo |
protracted-war (pick the phase) |
contradiction (find this phase's principal contradiction) |
Long competitive games |
| Plan-then-verify |
protracted-war (stage the plan) |
practice (validate at each milestone) |
Multi-quarter initiatives |
Use all three only when writing a major strategic document — overuse turns into framework theatre.
When NOT to use
- Trivial trade-offs with one obviously right answer
- Code-implementation questions (use
requirement-workflow)
- Knowledge persistence (use
knowledge-consolidation or llm-wiki)
- The actual question is empirical and the answer is just "go check"
Boundaries
This skill only: provides methodology agents for the three lenses.
This skill does not: write the actual report for you, fetch data, run analyses, or remember conclusions across sessions (use knowledge-consolidation or llm-wiki for persistence).
1---2name: lwy-mao-methodology3description: Use Mao Zedong's three philosophical works as practical decision / analysis / writing frameworks. Three lenses: contradiction (《矛盾论》, opposing forces & root cause), practice (《实践论》, hypothesis verification through action), protracted-war (《论持久战》, staged strategy for long contests, especially when starting from weakness). Triggers: '矛盾分析', '主要矛盾', '抓主要矛盾', 'contradiction analysis', 'principal contradiction', 'trade-off analysis', 'opposing forces', 'root cause', '实事求是', '调查研究', '实践论', 'practice-based', 'verify through practice', 'seek truth from facts', 'test assumptions', 'practice spiral', '持久战', '分阶段策略', '长期战略', '战略防御', '战略相持', '战略反攻', 'long-term strategy', 'protracted war', 'staged approach', 'underdog strategy', 'strategic patience'.4---5
6# Mao Methodology
7
8Three philosophical works → three operational lenses for decision-making, problem analysis, and report writing. Pick the lens that matches the *shape* of the question, not the topic.
9
10## Pick a lens
11
12| Question shape | Lens | Source |
13|---|---|---|
14| What forces are in tension? Where is the leverage? | **contradiction** | 《矛盾论》 |
15| Is our model right? How do we test it? | **practice** | 《实践论》 |
16| How do we win a long contest from weakness? When do we shift posture? | **protracted-war** | 《论持久战》 |
17
18If unsure, the lenses are complementary:
19- `contradiction` → *what* the forces are (structure)
20- `practice` → *how* to verify (process)
21- `protracted-war` → *when* to act and evolve (time / strategy)
22
23## Three agents per lens
24
25Every lens ships the same three agents (different methodology, same shape):
26
27| Agent | Job | Output |
28|---|---|---|
29| `decision-maker` | Choose between options under the lens's framework | A recommendation with rationale |
30| `problem-analyzer` | Diagnose a situation or stuck problem | A structured analysis |
31| `report-writer` | Write a report (decision memo, retro, strategy doc) | A structured document |
32
33## How to invoke
34
35The agents are read-only methodology guides — invoke via the Task tool with the lens-specific path:
36
37```
38Task(subagent_type="search", query="Read agents/<lens>/<agent>.md and apply to: <user's question>")
39```
40
41Where `<lens>` is `contradiction` / `practice` / `protracted-war` and `<agent>` is `decision-maker` / `problem-analyzer` / `report-writer`.
42
43## Lens-specific entry points
44
45### contradiction (《矛盾论》)
46
47> Acknowledge contradictions are universal; identify the principal contradiction and its principal aspect; perform concrete analysis of concrete situations; use the unity of opposites for transformation; insist on the unity of "two-point theory" and "key-point theory".
48
49When to reach for it:
50- Multiple competing trade-offs and unclear which dominates
51- Root cause is murky and surface symptoms compete for attention
52- Need to write a report whose structure must hold contradictory facts
53
54Agents: [contradiction/decision-maker](agents/contradiction/decision-maker.md), [contradiction/problem-analyzer](agents/contradiction/problem-analyzer.md), [contradiction/report-writer](agents/contradiction/report-writer.md)
55
56### practice (《实践论》)
57
58> Practice is the source, motivation, purpose, and sole criterion for testing truth. Cognition spirals upward: practice → perceptual knowledge → rational knowledge → renewed practice → renewed cognition. All correct ideas come from social practice; their value lies in guiding and improving practice.
59
60When to reach for it:
61- Decision based on assumption rather than evidence — needs a verification step
62- Theory and field reality conflict and you suspect the theory
63- Need to write a report grounded in observed facts ("实事求是") rather than speculation
64
65Agents: [practice/decision-maker](agents/practice/decision-maker.md), [practice/problem-analyzer](agents/practice/problem-analyzer.md), [practice/report-writer](agents/practice/report-writer.md)
66
67### protracted-war (《论持久战》)
68
69> A weaker side can prevail in a long contest if it sequences three phases — strategic defense, strategic stalemate, strategic counter-offensive — and converts weakness into strength through endurance, mobility, and the steady accumulation of small wins.
70
71When to reach for it:
72- Project / competition / personal goal is long and starts from disadvantage
73- Need to decide the *posture* (defend / hold / push) for the current phase
74- Need a strategy doc that explains why patience now serves victory later
75
76Agents: [protracted-war/decision-maker](agents/protracted-war/decision-maker.md), [protracted-war/problem-analyzer](agents/protracted-war/problem-analyzer.md), [protracted-war/report-writer](agents/protracted-war/report-writer.md)
77
78## Composition recipes
79
80Two lenses combine well:
81
82| Recipe | Lens 1 | Lens 2 | Use for |
83|---|---|---|---|
84| **Diagnose-then-test** | contradiction (find principal contradiction) | practice (design verification) | Stuck investigations, unclear root causes |
85| **Strategy-then-tempo** | protracted-war (pick the phase) | contradiction (find this phase's principal contradiction) | Long competitive games |
86| **Plan-then-verify** | protracted-war (stage the plan) | practice (validate at each milestone) | Multi-quarter initiatives |
87
88Use all three only when writing a major strategic document — overuse turns into framework theatre.
89
90## When NOT to use
91
92- Trivial trade-offs with one obviously right answer
93- Code-implementation questions (use `requirement-workflow`)
94- Knowledge persistence (use `knowledge-consolidation` or `llm-wiki`)
95- The actual question is empirical and the answer is just "go check"
96
97## Boundaries
98
99This skill **only**: provides methodology agents for the three lenses.
100
101This skill **does not**: write the actual report for you, fetch data, run analyses, or remember conclusions across sessions (use `knowledge-consolidation` or `llm-wiki` for persistence).
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