Suny Ancient Greek Philosophy Aristotle s Concept of Chance: Accidents Cause Necessity and Determinism (Paperback)

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 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.