Aristotle's Concept of Chance: Accidents, Cause, Necessity, and Determinism (SUNY series in Ancient Greek Philosophy)

The first exhaustive study of Aristotle’s concept of chance. This landmark book is the first to provide a comprehensive account of Aristotle’s concept of chance. Chance is invoked by many to explain the order in the universe, the origins of life, and 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 that 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, as well as in his other works. Important complementary considerations such as Aristotle’s criticism of pre-Socratic philosophers, particularly Empedocles and Democritus; Plato’s concept of chance; the chronology of Aristotle’s works; and the relevance of Aristotle’s thought to evolution and quantum theory are also covered in depth. This is an essential book for scholars and students of Western philosophy. John Dudley is Research Fellow in the De Wulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Mediaeval and Renaissance Philosophy at the University of Leuven in Belgium. Aristotle’s Concept of Chance 5 CONTENTS 11 PREFACE 15 INTRODUCTION 17 PART I. CHANCE IN THE PHYSICS OF ARISTOTLE:THE METAPHYSICS OF CHANCE 33 1. THE DOCTRINE OF PHYS. II, iv-vi 35 (i) Context and method 35 (ii) Terminology 36 (iii) Only unusual occurrences come about by chance 37 (iv) Chance refers to events 38 (v) Some events are meaningful and others are not 39 (vi) Chance events are both unusual and meaningful 42 (vii) Chance is a cause 43 (viii) Chance is an accidental cause that is meaningful 47 (ix) Chance as an accidental cause can pertain to any category 51 (x) Chance events are inherently unpredictable 55 (xi) The relationship of τύχη to τέχνη; their outcomes are contingent 56 (xii) Both good luck and bad luck are meaningful 58 (xiii) Good luck 62 (xiv)The distinction between τύχη and ταὐτόματον 64 (xv) The relationship of ταὐτόματον to μάτην 68 (xvi) Substances generated counter to nature fall und ταὐτόματον 69 (xvii) Chance, νοῦς and φύσις 70 2. THE STRUCTURE OF PHYS. II, iv-vi 74 3. DATING PHYS. II, iv-vi 88 (a) Texts in which τύχη covers all of chance 89 (b) Τύχη in Aristotle’s mature metaphysical writings 109 (i) the meaning of ταὐτόματον καί τύχη 109 (ii) Inconclusive passages in the later metaphysical writings 113 (iii) The sources of generation 114 (iv) Note on Met. K 115 (v) Conclusion 116 4. NECESSITY AND CHANCE 117 (a) Aristotle’s concept of necessity 117 (i) Introduction 117 (ii) Absolute necessity 118 (iii) Final causes are not derived by absolute necessity 120 (iv) The necessity of the Unmoved Mover 122 (v) Hypothetical necessity 124 (vi) Degrees of hypothetical necessity 125 (vii) Force 126 (viii) Fate 127 (ix) The correspondence of the four causes to absolute and hypothetical necessity 129 (x) The coincidence of hypothetical and absolute necessity 130 (xi) The distinction in subject-matter and method betweenphysics and the other two theoretical sciences 135 (xii) Accidents occur by absolute and notby hypothetical necessity 141 (xiii) There is no science of the unusual accident 145 (xiv) Necessity in relation to man 149 (b) Necessity and chance: Aristotle’s criticism of the Presocratics 151 (ii) Necessity and chance in Democritus 160 (iii) Conclusion 169 (a) Additional note on Phys. VIII, iv (cf. n. 86 supra). 172 (b) Additional note on Plato's concept of chance (cf. n. 172 supra). 173 (c) Additonal note on Empedocles' zoogony (cf. n. 182 supra). 174 (d) Additional note on Phys. II, iv, 196 a 28-33 (cf. supra n. 191). 176 5. THE CAUSES OF THAT WHICH OCCURS BY CHANCE 179 (a) Chance events 179 (b) Monsters 181 (c) Spontaneous generation 188 (i) The vocabulary of spontaneous generation 190 (ii) The causes of spontaneous generation 192 (iii) The evolution of the theory of spontaneous generation 201 (d) The parallel between chance events and chance substances 206 (i) The unusualness of monsters and spontaneous generation 207 (ii) The unusual category and the efficient cause 210 (e) Conclusion 211 PART II. CHANCE IN THE ETHICS OF ARISTOTLE 213 6. CHANCE AS THE SOURCE OF EXTERNAL PROSPERITY 215 (a) The necessity of external prosperity 216 (b) Good fortune throughout a complete life(βίος τέλειος) is necessary for perfect happiness 233 (i) Aristotle recognises the existence of various degrees of happiness 234 (ii) The happiness sought in the ethical works is perfect happiness 235 (iii) Perfect happiness must last throughout life 236 (iv) Perfect happiness requires a “complete life” (βίος τέλειος) 240 (v) Perfect happiness on one day and in a complete lifetime 248 (vi) Chance, external prosperity and happiness 249 7. CHANCE AND INTUITION 252 a. The doctrine of τύχη in EE VIII, ii 254 b. The doctrine of good fortune (εὐτυχία) in MM II, viii 265 ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THE CHRONOLOGY OFARISTOTLE’S ETHICAL WORKS 274 APPENDIX I. CHANCE IN THE LISTS OF SOURCES OF HAPPINESS IN NE AND EE 276 APPENDIX II. DIFFERENCES IN THE ROLE OF CHANCE IN NE, EE AND MM 280 (i) The doctrine of external goods 280 (ii) Chance and intuition 282 PART III. IMPLICATIONS OF ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF CHANCE 285 8. CHANCE AND ARISTOTLE’S REJECTION OF DETERMINISM 287 (a) Determinism and final causality 288 (b) Determinism and efficient causality 294 (i) Human free choice 294 (ii) Unusual accidents: Met. E(VI), iii 302 (iii) Chance 330 (iv) Conclusion 333 ADDITIONAL NOTE ON DETERMINIST INTERPRETATIONS OF ARISTOTLE'S PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE 341 9. ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF CHANCE AND RELATED CONTEMPORARY QUESTIONS 342 (a) Chance and the order in the universe 342 (b) Chance and the origin of life 345 (c) Chance and Evolution 350 (i) Aristotle’s analogy of substance 353 (ii) Teleology 356 (iii) The Operation of Chance 365 (d) Quantum theory 370 (e) Conclusion 374 CONCLUSION 375 (a) Textual conclusions 375 (b) Doctrinal conclusions 379 BIBLIOGRAPHY 391 INDEX LOCORUM 421 INDEX NOMINUM 445 A 445 B 445 C 446 D 446 E 447 F 447 G 447 H 448 I 448 J 449 K 449 L 449 M 449 N 450 O 450 P 450 Q 451 R 451 S 451 T 452 U 452 V 452 W 453 X 453 Y 453 Z 453 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.