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Full Idea
The ancient Sloth's Syllogism says that if something is foreseen and infallible, it will happen without my effort, and if it is not foreseen, it will not happen, even though I am able to do it.
Gist of Idea
Sloth's Syllogism: either it can't happen, or it is inevitable without my effort
Source
Gottfried Leibniz (Dialogue on human freedom and origin of evil [1695], p.113)
Book Ref
Leibniz,Gottfried: 'Philosophical Essays', ed/tr. Arlew,R /Garber,D [Hackett 1989], p.113
A Reaction
Presumable the foreseeing is to be done by the oracle, and not by the slothful person.
| 14062 | Sooner follow mythology, than accept the 'fate' of natural philosophers [Epicurus] |
| 20836 | The Lazy Argument responds to fate with 'why bother?', but the bothering is also fated [Chrysippus, by Cicero] |
| 20837 | Fate is an eternal and fixed chain of causal events [Chrysippus] |
| 21679 | When we say events are fated by antecedent causes, do we mean principal or auxiliary causes? [Chrysippus] |
| 23315 | The nearest to ancient determinism is Stoic fate, but that is controlled by a sympathetic God [Stoic school, by Frede,M] |
| 21674 | Even Apollo can only foretell the future when it is naturally necessary [Carneades, by Cicero] |
| 23347 | If I know I am fated to be ill, I should want to be ill [Epictetus] |
| 13162 | Sloth's Syllogism: either it can't happen, or it is inevitable without my effort [Leibniz] |
| 24133 | I have perfected fatalism, as recurrence and denial of the will [Nietzsche] |
| 24152 | Fate is inspiring, if you understand you are part of it [Nietzsche] |
| 9253 | The human heart has a tiresome tendency to label as fate only what crushes it [Camus] |