Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
finality. An accident is something that escapes the final cause.
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To
understand how essentialism differs from the point of view of mod-
ern science, let us consider an example given by Aristotle. If it
rains often in winter, the essentialist will say that that complies
with the nature of winter. On the other hand, if one day it is hot,
he will say that that is accidental, i.e. not in the nature of winter
(Aristotle, Physics, II, 8, 199a). The fact that it can be hot one
day in winter is not nowadays considered contrary to a certain
nature of that season. We know that this event may occur with
some degree of probability, and that, because there is no essence
(nature) of winter, this probability will vary depending on the
particular geophysical parameters of the place in question. It will
be different in Norway from Morocco, at sea level from the top
of a mountain, in a polluted town from the countryside etc.
Ultimately the probability of it being hot near the equator in
winter may be higher than of it being hot at the North Pole in
summer.
The word 'contingent' is also used to describe a phenomenon
subject to chance, but its precise meaning is different. Contingent
means something that is not strictly necessary, which may or may
not be. All probabilistic events are indeed contingent but the
reverse is not true. Some unnecessary events may not be proba-
bilistic, particularly any action supposed to depend on divine
will. Since the power of God is supposed to be absolute and He has
complete freedom, His actions contain no element of necessity.
Contingency is sometimes used with this meaning. It has obviously
nothing in common with the scientific concept of probability.
Ian Hacking (1975) wondered why the calculation of probabilities arose in the
17th century. According to our analysis, it seems that it was necessary to destroy
the specific/accidental duality to be able to bring random events into the domain
of rational knowledge, i.e. the essentialist mode of thought had to be abandoned.
This is exactly what happened in the 17th century, marking the height of the sci-
entific revolution.
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