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Full Idea
The very notion of chance is only conceivable on condition that there are unalterable physical laws.
Gist of Idea
The idea of chance relies on unalterable physical laws
Source
Quentin Meillassoux (After Finitude; the necessity of contingency [2006], 4)
Book Ref
Meillassoux: 'After Finitude: the necessity of contingency', ed/tr. Brassier,R [Bloomsbury 2008], p.99
A Reaction
Laws might be contingent, even though they never alter. Chance in horse racing relies on the stability of whole institution of horse racing.
13106 | Maybe there is no pure chance; a man's choices cause his chance meetings [Aristotle] |
13108 | Chance is a coincidental cause among events involving purpose and choice [Aristotle] |
13110 | Intrinsic cause is prior to coincidence, so nature and intelligence are primary causes, chance secondary [Aristotle] |
2215 | There is no such thing as chance [Hume] |
14804 | Is chance just unknown laws? But the laws operate the same, whatever chance occurs [Peirce] |
19252 | Objective chance is the property of a distribution [Peirce] |
23900 | Chance is compatible with necessity, and the two occur together [Weil] |
15560 | We can explain a chance event, but can never show why some other outcome did not occur [Lewis] |
20146 | 'Luck' is the unpredictable and inexplicable intersection of causal chains [Kekes] |
19671 | The idea of chance relies on unalterable physical laws [Meillassoux] |