The Nature of Necessity

The nature of necessity refers to things that must be true or happen, regardless of circumstances or choices. It distinguishes between what is necessarily the case—facts that cannot be otherwise—and what is contingent—those that could be different. For example, mathematical truths like “2 + 2 = 4” are necessary, whereas something like “It will rain tomorrow” is contingent. Necessity helps us understand the limits of what is possible and what is unavoidable, grounding our grasp of reality in understanding what must be so versus what could be otherwise.