On Contradiction Methodology Toolkit

Practical methodology toolkit derived from Mao Zedong's On Contradiction. Transforms the philosophical law of the unity of opposites into actionable, reusable operational frameworks for thinking, analyzing, and writing.

Core Principle: Acknowledge the universality of contradictions, grasp the principal contradiction and its principal aspect, analyze specific issues concretely, utilize the identity of contradictions to achieve transformation, and uphold the unity of the "two-point theory" and the "key-point theory."

Prerequisites

• No runtime dependencies (methodology-only skill, no scripts)
• Works in any domain — business, engineering, personal, strategic

When to Use

Invoke when:

• User needs to make a complex decision with competing trade-offs
• User faces a problem with unclear root causes
• User wants to write a report with sharp logic and clear structure
• User mentions "contradiction", "principal contradiction", "trade-off analysis", "root cause"
• User asks for structured thinking frameworks beyond simple pros/cons

Do NOT invoke when:

• User needs code implementation → use requirement-workflow or IDE directly
• User needs software-specific methodology → use software-methodology-toolkit
• User needs a quick factual answer → answer directly
• The problem is trivial and doesn't warrant deep analysis

Relationship with On Practice and On Protracted War

On Contradiction, On Practice, and On Protracted War form a trilogy:

Dimension	On Contradiction	On Practice	On Protracted War
Focus	Structure of forces	Process of knowing	Evolution over time
Question	"What are the contradictions?"	"How do we verify truth?"	"How does this unfold and when do we act?"
Method	Identify, prioritize, transform	Investigate, test, validate	Stage, strategize, maneuver, evolve
Strength	Structural clarity — sees the skeleton	Process rigor — ensures grounding	Temporal wisdom — sees the arc of change
Combine	Identify WHAT forces are at play	Validate HOW through practice	Plan WHEN to act and how each phase differs

The Universal Contradiction Framework

Every agent in this toolkit applies a 5-step formula:

Step 1: IDENTIFY    — List all opposing contradictions in the situation
Step 2: PRIORITIZE  — Separate principal from secondary contradictions
Step 3: ANALYZE     — Examine the unity (shared ground) and struggle (opposing forces)
Step 4: TRANSFORM   — Find conditions to turn unfavorable contradictions into favorable ones
Step 5: ACT         — Execute on the principal contradiction, defer secondary ones

This formula is the DNA of all agents. Each agent applies it to a specific domain.

Key Concepts

Concept	Definition	Practical Meaning
Universality of Contradictions	Contradictions exist in everything, at all times	Never deny that a problem exists; every situation has tensions
Particularity of Contradictions	Each contradiction has unique characteristics	Reject one-size-fits-all; analyze each situation concretely
Principal Contradiction	The dominant contradiction that determines overall development	Focus energy on the ONE thing that matters most
Principal Aspect	The dominant side within a single contradiction	The mainstream trend — distinguish it from the secondary aspect
Identity of Contradictions	Opposing sides share a common ground and can transform	Enemies can become allies; weaknesses can become strengths
Struggle of Contradictions	Opposing sides clash and push change	Conflict drives progress; don't fear productive tension
Two-Point Theory	Consider BOTH sides of every contradiction	Avoid one-sidedness; acknowledge achievements AND problems
Key-Point Theory	Focus on the MAIN point among all contradictions	Don't spread energy thin; tackle the core issue
Contradiction Transformation	Under certain conditions, opposites switch positions	Plan for how today's advantage may become tomorrow's liability
Internal vs External Causes	Internal causes are fundamental; external causes are conditions	Fix the root (internal), don't just blame the environment

Agent Summary

Domain	Agent	Core Principles Applied
Thinking	decision-maker	Principal/secondary contradictions + transformation + two-point theory
Thinking	problem-analyzer	Universality/particularity + internal/external causes + layered analysis
Writing	report-writer	Key-point theory + two-point theory + developmental prediction

Routing Decision Table

User Signal	Agent	Confidence
"make a decision", "choose between", "trade-off", "dilemma"	decision-maker	High
"analyze the problem", "root cause", "why is this happening", "dig deeper"	problem-analyzer	High
"write a report", "summarize findings", "present analysis"	report-writer	High
"矛盾分析", "主要矛盾", "抓主要矛盾"	problem-analyzer	High
Complex situation with no clear direction	problem-analyzer (entry point) → decision-maker	Medium
Need to present findings to stakeholders	report-writer	Medium
General mention of "contradictions" or "On Contradiction"	problem-analyzer (default entry)	Low

If confidence is Low, confirm agent selection with the user before proceeding.

Composition Workflows

Full Analysis Workflow (Problem → Decision → Report)

1. problem-analyzer  → Identify and layer all contradictions, find root cause
2. decision-maker    → Grasp principal contradiction, evaluate transformation conditions
3. report-writer     → Present findings with two-point structure and actionable conclusions

Quick Decision Workflow

1. decision-maker    → List contradictions, isolate principal one, predict transformation, decide

Deep Investigation Workflow

1. problem-analyzer  → Surface → Intermediate → Essential contradiction layers
2. problem-analyzer  → Internal causes vs external causes
3. decision-maker    → Prioritize and plan resolution

Cross-Skill Composition Workflows (Trilogy)

Structure-Then-Validate (with On Practice)

1. on-contradiction / problem-analyzer  → Identify all contradictions, find the principal one
2. on-contradiction / decision-maker    → Evaluate transformation conditions, propose a path
3. on-practice / decision-maker         → Surface untested assumptions, design small-scale trials
4. on-practice / problem-analyzer       → Analyze practice results, extract validated knowledge
5. on-contradiction / report-writer     → Final report: contradiction structure + practice evidence

Rapid Evidence-Grounded Decision (with On Practice)

1. on-contradiction / decision-maker    → Identify principal contradiction and two sides
2. on-practice / decision-maker         → Audit assumptions: which side has practice evidence?
3. on-contradiction / decision-maker    → Decide with both structural and empirical confidence

The Full Trilogy Workflow (Structure → Time → Evidence)

1. on-contradiction / problem-analyzer   → Identify all contradictions, find the principal one
2. on-protracted-war / problem-analyzer  → Diagnose current stage, assess four factors over time
3. on-protracted-war / decision-maker    → Choose phase-appropriate strategy
4. on-practice / decision-maker          → Validate strategy assumptions through small-scale practice
5. on-protracted-war / report-writer     → Full strategic report: contradiction + phased plan + evidence

Contradiction Analysis Tools

Tool 1: Contradiction Matrix

For any situation, fill this matrix:

#	Contradiction	Side A	Side B	Principal?	Transformable?
1	{name}	{benefit/positive}	{risk/negative}	✅ / ❌	{conditions}
2	{name}	{short-term}	{long-term}	✅ / ❌	{conditions}
3	{name}	{individual}	{collective}	✅ / ❌	{conditions}

Tool 2: Principal Contradiction Checklist

To identify the principal contradiction, ask:

1. Which contradiction, if resolved, would make most others dissolve or become manageable?
2. Which contradiction most affects the overall direction of development?
3. Which contradiction currently has the most energy/conflict?
4. If you could only fix ONE thing, what would it be?

The answer to all four should converge on the same contradiction.

Tool 3: Transformation Condition Map

For the principal contradiction:

Current State	Desired State	Transformation Conditions	Actions Required
{unfavorable aspect dominates}	{favorable aspect dominates}	{what must change}	{concrete steps}

Agent Output Contract

All agents follow the same output rules:

Allowed	Not Allowed
Structured contradiction analysis	Making decisions for the user
Recommendations with trade-offs	Ignoring the secondary side (violates two-point theory)
Transformation predictions	Presenting only one perspective
Actionable next steps	Abstract philosophizing without practical steps

Every agent output must include:

1. Contradiction Inventory — All identified contradictions
2. Principal Contradiction — The one that matters most, with reasoning
3. Two-Point Analysis — Both sides examined honestly
4. Transformation Path — How to shift the balance
5. Action Plan — Concrete next steps focused on the principal contradiction

Error Handling

Issue	Solution
User's request matches no agent trigger	Default to problem-analyzer as the entry point
User's request matches multiple agents	Use Routing Decision Table; pick highest-confidence match
Situation has too many contradictions to list	Use Contradiction Matrix tool, limit to top 5-7, then prioritize
User cannot agree on which is the principal contradiction	Apply the Principal Contradiction Checklist systematically
Analysis becomes too abstract	Ground every contradiction in concrete, observable evidence
User expects a definitive answer, not analysis	Clarify: this toolkit provides structured analysis; the user makes the final call
Contradiction transformation seems impossible	Re-examine conditions; sometimes the solution is to change the conditions, not the contradiction directly

Execution Checklist

Before invoking any agent, verify:

• The situation genuinely involves competing forces or trade-offs
• Agent selection follows the Routing Decision Table
• Low-confidence selections are confirmed with the user
• Agent receives sufficient context (situation description, stakeholders, constraints)

After agent produces output, verify:

• Output includes a Contradiction Inventory (not just conclusions)
• A Principal Contradiction is identified with clear reasoning
• Both sides are analyzed (two-point theory enforced)
• Transformation conditions are concrete, not vague
• Action plan focuses on the principal contradiction, not scattered across all
• Secondary contradictions are acknowledged but deferred

Boundary Enforcement

This skill ONLY handles:

• Contradiction-based analysis of complex situations
• Structured decision-making through principal/secondary contradiction identification
• Problem root-cause analysis using internal/external cause distinction
• Report writing with contradiction-based logical structure
• Providing the analytical framework — the user makes the final decision

This skill does NOT handle:

• Long-term phased strategy or stage diagnosis → on-protracted-war
• Practice-based evidence validation → on-practice
• Code generation or software implementation → requirement-workflow
• Software engineering methodology → software-methodology-toolkit
• Quick factual answers → answer directly
• Emotional counseling → out of scope (future v2.0 agent: emotion-manager)
• Project management execution → out of scope (future v2.0 agent: project-manager)

Expansion Roadmap (v2.0)

Guiding principle: No new agents until v1.0 agents are practice-tested. Apply On Practice — use the skills in real work first, then expand based on evidence.

The following agents are planned for future versions. Agents are assigned to the skill whose core method (contradiction structure vs practice spiral) is the primary lens.

Domain	Agent	Core Principle	Notes
Communication	negotiation-advisor	Identity (common ground) + struggle (resolve divergences)
Management	project-manager	Staged principal contradictions + internal/external causes
Growth	self-growth-coach	Internal contradictions + transformation
Innovation	innovation-catalyst	Unity of opposites + restructuring contradictions
Risk	risk-controller	Risk/opportunity coexistence + prediction
Team	team-harmonizer	Group contradiction universality + principal contradiction
Review	retrospective-guide	Contradiction development over time + internal/external causes	Complements on-practice / pattern-extractor (which extracts patterns from practice data)
Learning	knowledge-absorber	Universality (underlying logic) + particularity (scenarios)	Complements on-practice / learning-master (which focuses on learning by doing)
Career	career-planner	Personal/environment contradictions + staged resolution
Product	product-designer	User demand contradictions + supply-demand unity
Emotion	emotion-manager	Rational/emotional contradictions + transformation
Task	task-decomposer	Hierarchical contradictions + principal prioritization

References

• On Contradiction (《矛盾论》) — Mao Zedong (1937)
• On Practice (《实践论》) — Mao Zedong (1937)
• On Protracted War (《论持久战》) — Mao Zedong (1938)
• "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" (《关于正确处理人民内部矛盾的问题》) — Mao Zedong (1957)