The Identity and Struggle Between the Aspects of a Contradiction

The two opposite but fundamental relationships in any contradiction or essential properties that any contradiction contains.

The identity of contradictions, also known as "the unity of contradictions", refers to the interdependence, attraction, and coherence of the two contradictory aspects of a contradiction. A contradictory identity, also known as “contradictory unity”, refers to the relationship and tendency of contradictory opposites to be interdependent, mutually excluding each other and coherent. The first person to use the concept of identity in the history of philosophy was Hegel, who understood it as a contradictory and a dialectical identity. Lenin transformed and brought Hegel's thought into full play in his Philosophical Notebooks and expounded the meaning of "the identity of opposites."

Lenin said: "Dialectics is the teaching which shows how opposites can be and how they happen to be (how they become) identical — under what conditions they are identical, transforming themselves into one another.”

Mao Zedong summarized two reference points of the identity of contradictions in his On Contradiction and made a deep exposition on the issue. Firstly, the existence of each of the two aspects of a contradiction in the process of the development of a thing presupposes the existence of the other aspect, and both aspects coexist in a single entity. Without certain conditions, the two aspects cannot depend on each other. Secondly, in given conditions, each of the two contradictory aspects transforms itself into its opposite. Without certain necessary conditions, they cannot be transformed. Therefore, the unity of all aspects of contradiction is not fixed, but interchangeable, temporary and relative.

In the process of development of things, the identity of contradictions maintains the relatively stable situation of the unity of contradictions makes the opposites interdependent and become transformed into one another, at the same time, it stipulates the basic trend of development of things, and provides the possibility and basis for the transformation of things.

The struggle of a contradiction refers to the property of mutual exclusion between contradictory opposites, which reflects the trend of mutual separation between opposites. The two sides of contradiction are different from each other, restrict each other, oppose each other, negate each other, and one side overcomes the other, which are all manifestations of the struggle of contradictions.

There are two states in the motion in all things, that of relative rest and that of conspicuous change, both of which are caused by the struggle between the two contradictory aspects contained in a thing. Contradictional struggle has two forms namely, antagonistic type of contradiction and the non-antagonistic type, which are not all manifested as external conflicts, but both antagonistic and non-antagonistic forms are the manifestations of the contradictory struggle. The struggle between opposites permeates a process from beginning to end and makes one process transform itself into another, that it is ubiquitous, and that struggle is therefore unconditional and absolute.

The identity and struggle of the aspects of a contradiction are the two aspects existing simultaneously and closely combined in of each contradiction. Engels said that “the separation and opposition of these poles exist only within their mutual connection and union, and conversely, that their union exists only in their separation and their mutual connection only in their opposition.”

Struggle is inherent in identity and without struggle there can be no identity. In identity there is struggle, in particularity there is universality, and in individuality there is generality. Struggle is inseparable from identity.

The struggle of opposites is the struggle in a certain unity of opposites. Mao Zedong said:“Struggle is inherent in identity and without struggle there can be no identity.” The combination of the identity of opposites and the struggle of opposites embodies the relationship between relative and absolute. Mao Zedong pointed out: “The combination of conditional, relative identity and unconditional, absolute struggle constitutes the movement of opposites in all things.”

A correct understanding of the identity and struggle of opposites in a contradiction is of great significance for people’s cognitive and practical activities. Only by studying the law of interchange between the identity and struggle of opposites in a contradiction and grasping that the opposites are in unity can we deeply understand and grasp the dialectical relationship of things and their development process.