Contradiction

A philosophical category that represents the relation of both opposition and unity contained in things themselves. The Chinese word “contradiction” was first used in the book Han Feizi in the pre-Qin period. The Latin word for “contradiction” is contradictio, which originally referred to a logical inconsistency. German philosopher Hegel elaborated the doctrine of contradiction in his idealist philosophical system. Marxism assimilated the “rational kernel” of Hegelian philosophy and took contradiction as the basic category of materialist dialectics to reflect the relation of unity of opposites. All phenomena and processes contain contradictory aspects that are interconnected, interdependent, mutually exclusive and opposite aspects, this is what precisely contradictions is. Both unity and opposition between the two aspects of a contradiction is the basic attribute of contradiction. The law of contradiction, that is, the law of unity of opposites, is the fundamental law of the universe, the essence and core of materialist dialectics. Lenin said: “Dialectics in the proper sense is the study of contradictions in the very essence of objects.” Contradictions have objectivity and universality. Contradictions are inherent essential attribute of things, and exist objectively, and cannot be changed by man’s subjective will. Whether in nature, human society or thoughts of people, contradiction is present in the process of development of all things; it permeates the process of development of each thing from beginning to end. When the old process is completed, the new process contains new contradictions. Contradictions are everywhere and at all times. Contradictions also have particularities, and they are found in different things, in different processes and at different stages of development, each with its own characteristics.

Contradiction is the source and the driving force of the development of things. The two aspects of a contradiction belong together and struggle with each other, thus push the motion and development of things forward. It is the fundamental law of development and change of things is that contradictions constantly arise and are resolved. Materialist dialectics requires us to be good at observing and analyzing the contradictory motion of various things and find ways to resolve them based on such analysis.

Contradiction as materialist dialectics puts it is the contradiction of objectively existing things, i.e., the contradiction within the object itself, and is a different concept from logical contradiction. Self-contradiction that goes against the rules of logic is a manifestation of confused thinking. Materialist dialectics requires the acknowledgement of contradictions of things and the elimination of logical contradictions.