In [[philosophy]] and [[logic]], '''contingency''' is the [[status]] of [[facts]] that are not logically necessarily true or false. Contingency is opposed to [[necessity]]: a contingent [[act]] is an act which could have not been, an act which is not necessary (could not have not been). Contingency differs from [[possibility]], in a [[formal]] sense, as the latter includes statements which are necessarily true as well as not necessarily false, while a statement can not be said to be contingent if it is true necessarily. | In [[philosophy]] and [[logic]], '''contingency''' is the [[status]] of [[facts]] that are not logically necessarily true or false. Contingency is opposed to [[necessity]]: a contingent [[act]] is an act which could have not been, an act which is not necessary (could not have not been). Contingency differs from [[possibility]], in a [[formal]] sense, as the latter includes statements which are necessarily true as well as not necessarily false, while a statement can not be said to be contingent if it is true necessarily. |