On Contradiction and Systems Thinking

This paper presents a systems insight on Mao TseTung's classic, On Contradiction, representing his philosophical thinking about social and political transformation, through the dialectic thought of the universality and particularity of contradiction. The identification and resolution of contradictions move human society forward. The application of the theory of contradiction is through recognizing and separating the principal from non-principal contradictions and the grasping and dealing with the principal aspects of such contradictions. The theory of contradiction provides an alternative frame of mind suitable for high level analysis of stakeholders' needs and requirements. The notion of contradiction is not be perceived negatively by recognising the Law of the Unity of Opposites. For application, an example on resolving contradictions in the development of Singapore's national water system is included; and a comparison is also made to contrast the principles of contradiction versus the Theory of Constraint (TOC) for systems improvement.