ABSTRACT
Historical determinism, subjective choice, and the relations between the two are important issues in historical studies. Great controversy among scholars exists over these issues. Historical determinism and historical nondeterminism oppose each other in their understanding of historical development. Generally, “history” may have two definitions. One, history refers to human activities and products and human plans for future. Two, history refers to narration and interpretation of human activities and products and human plans for the future. Some Chinese scholars dichotomize between historical determinism and the human possibility to change the world. They believe that Marxist philosophy is only about changing the world, and that Marxist philosophy affirms the human capability to change world history—an idea that presupposes the changeability of the world. The determinism of historical materialism acknowledges the objective regularity, necessity, and causality in social development. The relationship between historical determinism and human agency is, in fact, the relationship between historical determinism and humans’ practical activities that change the world.
