At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the in-depth development of natural science, especially physics, had provided new research materials and scientific support for dialectical materialist theory of knowledge. Some scientists and philosophers made idealistic explanations around new discoveries such as X-rays and Becquerel rays, showing the vacillation of traditional physics theory of knowledge and the dilemma of metaphysical materialist view of nature. In the face of major breakthroughs and drastic changes in physics, or the so-called “crisis in physics”, two completely different schools of thought emerged. The first is the mechanistic school, who insisted on the spontaneous materialist standpoint and regarded Newton’s classical mechanics as absolute truth. They refused to understand and accept the new discoveries in physics, showing metaphysical characteristics of denying development and change. The second is the critical school, who held that the matters supporting materialism “disappeared” and that the materialist theory was self-defeated. The conflict between the two schools on the philosophical world outlook revealed the defects of metaphysical materialism and also reflected the real purpose of idealism trying to replace materialism…
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