p In science and practice it is very important to take into account the objective dialectics of necessity and chance. The task of science is to discover the internal, necessary connections behind the external appearances, the numerous chance events and connections. Knowledge of the laws, of objective necessity enables man to subordinate the 144 numerous phenomena of nature and social life to his needs. Every science must primarily aim at cognition of necessity. The task of social science is, therefore, to reveal the objective necessity of social development and, on the basis of this cognised necessity, to transform the social order in the interests of the workers.

p Science, however, should not ignore chance. Since accidents occur and exert some kind of influence on life, science must take into account their role in development, and protect man from them.

p In different historical conditions the interconnection of necessity and chance is not identical. The dominance of capitalist property determines the spontaneous operation of necessity in capitalist conditions. The law of value, the law of anarchy and competition break their way through a mass of chance events and this means that under capitalism people are deprived of the opportunity to plan the life of society. They are mere toys of these spontaneous forces. Market is the necessary regulator of capitalist production, but it operates through numerous accidental fluctuations of market prices, which depend on similarly accidental changes in supply and demand. The distribution of labour under capitalism is also accidental. All this creates insecurity for the worker—he may become unemployed and lose his means of livelihood at any moment. Even the businessman has no peace of mind under capitalism, particularly the small or medium employer who may be ruined at any moment, because he cannot withstand the competition of more powerful rivals.

p It should be noted, however, that state-monopoly regulation and prognostication of economic development are becoming widespread in capitalist countries. But quite often this sort of regulation does not transcend monopoly limits. Moreover, it does not eliminate market fluctuations which continue to be the main regulator of capitalist production in general.

p The chaos on the capitalist market most seriously affects the peasants, farmers and agricultural workers, particularly in the developing countries where it puts them on the verge of physical extinction and dooms to chronic undernourishment, inevitable ruin and impoverishment. Moreover, in view of the specifics of agricultural production 145 resulting directly from natural causes, the chance events occurring in nature have the most devastating effects in these countries. It is not by accident that drought, floods, hurricanes and other calamities of nature result in national tragedy, the loss of millions of human lives, millions of head of cattle, etc.

p Socialism alone puts an end to the devastating play of chance. It ensures the planned, steady growth of agricultural production and of the living standards of all people engaged in it.

p The promotion of this growth is a national task, and involves the efforts of other branches of the economy and many sciences.

p Such an approach to agriculture in the USSR has made it possible to place its resources at the service of the people and to carry out such immense transformations as the development of enormous tracts of virgin and fallow lands, irrigate 16 million hectares of land and drain 15.2 million hectares.

p Relying on their own social advantages and the assistance of the CMEA member states, some socialist-oriented developing countries have also started work on gigantic projects of subduing the elements. For instance, the planting of a green belt has been going on in Algeria since 1973. This green belt, a forest strip 1,500 kilometres long and 20 kilometres wide, will hold back the advancing sands of the Sahara which annually consume approximately 200,000 hectares of land.

p Under socialism, due to the operation of its inherent laws, people have an opportunity to foresee the course of history and plan their activities accordingly in all spheres of life. Social necessity appears in the conscious, purposive activity of people. National economic plans in the USSR are witnesses to the skilful use of the objective necessity of social development.

p The effect of chance in socialist society is greatly reduced by the conscious, planned effort of the people led by the Communist Party. Accidents occur, however, even under socialism. Sometimes due to chance circumstances some branches of industry or agriculture lag behind, individual factories do not fulfil their plans, etc. This leads to some disproportions and discrepancies in the development 146 of the economy. Accidents are also caused by weather conditions, drought, floods, storms, etc.

p The Communist Party and the Soviet Government strive to reduce to a minimum the adverse influence of chance in society. To these ends improvements are constantly being made in the planning and organisation of production, and the latest scientific achievements are applied. A ramified system of state reserves is built up to meet exigencies.

p Necessity always appears in definite objective conditions. But these conditions change, and so necessity, too, changes and develops. Each new necessity, however, does not arise in a ready, fully-shaped form, but at first exists merely as a possibility and turns into reality only in given favourable conditions.

Let us examine the categories of possibility and reality.