Aristotle on Accidental Causation

This major new study of Aristotle's natural philosophy connects it to modern theories of causation by analysing neglected causal concepts.

Tyler Huismann (Author)

9781009491440, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 December 2024

276 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 2 cm, 0.53 kg

In this major new study, Tyler Huismann connects Aristotle's natural philosophy to modern theories of causation and provides fresh interpretations of classic issues. He links two of the most important notions in Aristotle's philosophy, accidents and causes, and using the concept of accidental causation as a guide, argues for ground-breaking proposals on some of the most foundational areas of Aristotle's thought: the relation between substances and accidents, the nature of efficient causation, the workings of 'qua,' the possibility of uncaused events, and the role of accidental causation in the natural world. Structured around close readings of Aristotle's Physics and Metaphysics and informed by contemporary theories of causation, Huismann's book offers students an accessible treatment of some of Aristotle's core texts, and provides specialists with a series of provocative interpretations.

Introduction
1. The texture of Aristotle's ontology
2. What is accidental to what
3. Aristotle on how efficient causation works
4. The nature of accidental causation
5. Causal inference: Aristotle on 'Qua'
6. The causal profile of Lucky occurrences
7. Why Aristotle needs accidental causation
8. Expert activity and the metaphysics of action
9. The role of the accidental in the physical world
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA]