A pair of categories that reveals the distinct tendencies of generation, development, and passing away of things. Necessity refers to the unalterable trend of the connection and development of objective things in conformity with laws, and has inevitability and certainty under certain conditions. If you sow melons, you will reap melons, if you sow beans, you will reap beans, friction generates heat, the four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter take turns, socialist society replaces capitalist society, socialist society transitions to communist society, etc. are all a definite trend of things to be connected and develop as they must and cannot be altered, i.e., have necessity. Contrary to necessity, chance refers to some kind of swaying and deviation presented in the process of development, an indefinite trend that can occur in one way or another. For example, how many melons can be produced from a melon vine, how many pods can be grown from a bean seedling, on what day and at what time a certain factory’s annual plan will be completed, on what concrete time will socialism win in a certain country, and so on, all bear a chance…
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