As we have noted above, the first half of The Philosophy of Living Experience forms a lengthy and complex introduction to the remainder of the work. Our purpose in this chapter is to sketch out and explicate that introductory material so as to show how it guides the reader toward, and prepares him to accept, the critiques of Marx and Mach and the exposition of "the philosophy of living experience" which follows. The title of our chapter reflects its simple thesis. We submit that, in his brief initial essays and in the three chapters which follow them, Bogdanov established the criteria according to which "the philosophy of living experience" would be formulated. Inasmuch as the first half of the work is introductory to the chapters on Marx and Mach as well, we submit that these criteria were also intended to form the basis for Bogdanov's criticism.