ABSTRACT
In the case of a proposition (p) which makes an assertion (f) (for example, concerning a state of affairs) which is denied by another proposition (q), the two propositions are said to be in contradiction. The assertion of the truth of one of the propositions (p) necessarily implies the falsity of the other (q). Thus, in logic, the principle of noncontradiction states that two mutually exclusive states of affairs cannot simultaneously be asserted to be the case, e.g. it is impossible for something to exist and at the same time not to exist. The principle of non-contradiction thus serves as a rule for the construction of arguments that have validity. In the work of Hegel and Marx, contradiction performs an important function. Hegel’s conception of dialectic, for instance, is dependent upon the notion of contradiction for its force. For Hegel, contradiction is a principle fundamental to the nature of existence, which is overcome in the dialectical process. In the social and political spheres, the notion of contradiction has
been used to articulate a range of problems basic to the relationships that exist between civil agents. In civil society, for example, contradictions may arise from the fact of individual civil agents pursuing their own particular purposes (x’s purposes may not be commensurable with y’s purposes) or from their having mutually incompatible interests.
