Aristotle's Concept of Chance

John Dudley

Description

This landmark book is the first to provide a comprehensive account of Aristotle's concept of chance. Chance is invoked by many to explain order in the universe, the origins of life, even human freedom and happiness. An understanding of Aristotle's concept of chance is indispensable for an appreciation of his views on nature and ethics, views which have had a tremendous influence on the development of Western philosophy. Author John Dudley analyzes Aristotle's account of chance in the Physics, the Metaphysics, in his biological and ethical treatises, and in a number of his other works as well. Important complementary considerations such as Aristotle's criticism of Presocratic philosophers, particularly Empedocles and Democritus, Plato's concept of chance, the chronology of Aristotle's works, and the relevance of Aristotle's work to evolution and quantum theory are also covered in depth. This is an essential book for scholars and students of Western philosophy.
Preface

Introduction

PART I: CHANGE IN THE PHYSICS OF ARISTOTLE

1. The doctrine of Phys. II, iv-vi

i. Context and method
ii. Terminology
iii. Only unusual occurrences come about by chance
iv. Chance refers to events
v. Some events are meaningful and others are not
vi. Chance events are both unusual and meaningful
vii. Chance is a cause
viii. Chance is an accidental cause that is meaningful
ix. Chance as an accidental cause can pertain to any category
x. Chance events are inherently unpredictable
xi. The relationship of τύχη to τέχνη; their outcomes are contingent
xii. Both good luck and bad luck are meaningful
xiii. Good luck
xiv. The distinction between τύχη and ταὐτόματον
xv. The relationship of ταὐτόματον to μάτην
xvi. Substances generated counter to nature fall under ταὐτόματον
xvii. Chance, νοῦς and φύσις

2. The structure of Phys. II, iv-vi

3. Dating Phys. II, vi

a. Texts in which τύχη covers all of chance
b. τύχη in Aristotle’s mature metaphysical writings

i. the meaning of ταὐτόματον καί τύχη
ii. Inconclusive passages in the later metaphysical writings
iii. The sources of generation
iv. Note on Met. K
v. Conclusion

4. Necessity and Chance

a. Aristotle’s concept of necessity

i. Introduction
ii. Absolute necessity
iii. Final causes are not derived by absolute necessity
iv. The necessity of the Unmoved Mover
v. Hypothetical necessity
vi. Degrees of hypothetical necessity
vii. Force
viii. Fate
ix. The correspondence of the four causes to absolute and hypothetical necessity
x. The coincidence of hypothetical and absolute necessity
xi. The distinction in subject-matter and method between physics and the other two theoretical sciences
xii. Accidents occur by absolute and not by hypothetical necessity
xiii. There is no science of the unusual accident
xiv. Necessity in relation to man

b. Necessity and chance: Aristotle’s criticism of the Presocratics

i. The compatibility of necessity and chance in Greek thought
ii. Necessity and chance in Democritus
iii. Conclusion

Additional notes to chapter IV

a. Phys. VIII, iv
b. Plato’s concept of chance
c. Empedocles’ zoogony
d. Phys. II, iv, 196 a 28-33

5. The causes of that which occurs by chance

a. Chance events
b. Monsters
c. spontaneous generation

i. The vocabulary of spontaneous generation
ii. The causes of spontaneous generation
iii. The evolution of the theory of spontaneous

d. The parallel between chance events and chance substances

i. The unusualness of monsters and spontaneous generation
ii. The unusual category and the efficient cause

e. Conclusion

PART II: CHANCE IN THE ETHICS OF ARISTOTLE

6. Chance as the source of external prosperity

a. The necessity of external prosperity

b. Good fortune throughout a complete live (βίος τέλειος) is necessary for perfect happiness

i. Aristotle recognizes the existence of various degrees of happiness ii. The happiness sought in the ethical works is perfect happine

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Métaphysique
• Philosophie politique
• Philosophie antique
• Philosophy
• Ancient philosophy
• Metaphysics

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 23 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438432281
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Aristotle’s Concept of Chance

Accidents, Cause, Necessity, and Determinism

John Dudley

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ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF CHANCE

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Aristotle’s Concept of Chance Accidents, Cause, Necessity, and Determinism

JOH N DU DL E Y

SUNY P R E S S

Poto of te autor: tanks to te Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Benedictine College, KS

Autor’s address: Jon Dudley, Vlamingenstr. 75, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Email: jon.dudley@iw.kuleuven.be

Publised by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2012 State University of New York

All rigts reserved

Printed in te United States of America

No part of tis book may be used or reproduced in any manner watsoever witout written permission. No part of tis book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mecanical, potocopying, recording, or oterwise witout te prior permission in writing of te publiser.

For information, address State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Production by Diane Ganeles Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dudley, Jon, 1951–  Aristotle’s concept of cance : accidents, cause, necessity, and determinism / Jon Dudley.  p. cm. — (SUNY series in ancient Greek pilosopy)  Includes bibliograpical references and index.  ISBN 978-1-4384-3227-4 (ardcover : alk. paper)  1. Aristotle. 2. Cance. 3. Probabilities. 4. Necessity (Pilosopy) 5. Free will and determinism. I. Title.  B485.D73 2010  123'.3092—dc22 2010004944

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For Marcella, Antony and Timoty

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To be or not to be: tat is te question: Weter ’tis nobler in te mind to suffer he slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end tem? – Sakespeare,HamletIII, i, 56-60

If Cance will ave me king, wy, Cance may crown me, Witout my stir. – Sakespeare,Macbet, I, iv, 144-5

Rendons au asard ce qui est au asard et à Dieu ce qui est à Dieu... Ce que nous admirons par-dessus tout dans une rencontre du genre de celle de Waterloo, c’est la prodigieuse abilité du asard. – Victor Hugo,Les Misérables, IIe partie, Livre I, XVI

Cance as an empire wic reduces coice to a fool’s illusion. – George Eliot,Middlemarc, Book VII, C. 64

One’s appiness must in some measure be always at te mercy of cance. – Jane Austen,Sense and Sensibility, Vol. II, C. 36

Multum cum in omnibus rebus tum in re militari potest fortuna. – Julius Caesar,De Bello GallicoVI, xxx, 2

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