Aristotle's Concept of Chance—Accidents, Cause, Necessity, and Determinism

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.

John Dudley is Research Fellow in the De Wulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Mediaeval and Renaissance Philosophy at the University of Leuven in Belgium.