①Social existence determines social consciousness, social consciousness is a reflection of social existence, the change and development of social existence determines the change and development of social consciousness.

②Social consciousness has a dynamic reaction to social existence. Backward social consciousness is an obstacle to social development, advanced social consciousness can correctly foresee the direction and trend of social development, and play a positive role in promoting social development.

3. Social consciousness has relative independence. Sometimes it lags behind social existence, sometimes it precedes it.

Social existence is the sum of the material living conditions of society, including geographical environment, demographic factors, and mode of production. Social consciousness is a reflection of social existence. Thus, social existence determines social consciousness. Social consciousness is dependent on social existence. What kind of social existence there is, what kind of social consciousness is compatible with it. The content of social consciousness comes from social existence. Whether the social consciousness is correct or wrong, or even distorted or absurd, in the final analysis, it can find its prototype in social existence.

Engels pointed out that "all the social and state relations, all the religious and legal systems, all the theoretical conceptions which have arisen in history can be understood only if the material conditions of life of the epochs to which each of them relates are comprehended and from which they have been deduced."

Photo of Engels

All theoretical ideas of society, the state, and institutions can be understood only insofar as the material conditions from which they arise are understood. The implicit principle is that social existence determines social consciousness. Historical materialism clearly regards the relationship between social existence and social consciousness as the basic problem of the historical outlook, and considers social existence as the foundation and premise of social consciousness, the objective content and objective source of social consciousness, and the development and change of social existence determines the development and change of social consciousness. At the same time, it also emphasizes that social consciousness has a dynamic counteraction to social existence and a relative independence of development.

This principle requires us to respect the social reality, establish the idea of practice first, insist on starting from the actual situation and seeking truth from facts, to establish advanced and correct social consciousness, oppose backward and negative social consciousness, and attach importance to the construction of socialist spiritual civilization and political civilization.