The Topography of Historical Contingency

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4771301
AutoresRob Inkpen (0000-0002-1510-6911, Connecticut College), Diane D Turner (0000-0001-7817-0788, Connecticut College), Derek Turner
Ano2012
Volume6
Fascículo1
Páginas1-19
Data de publicação2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of the Philosophy of History (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1872-261X • E-ISSN: 1872-2636
EditoraWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/187226312x625573
OpenAlexW1999445737
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas8
Referências citadas2

Starting with Ben-Menahem's definition of historical contingency as sensitivity to variations in initial conditions, we suggest that historical events and processes can be thought of as forming a complex landscape of contingency and necessity. We suggest three different ways of extending and elaborating Ben-Menahem's concepts: (1) By supplementing them with a notion of historical disturbance; (2) by pointing out that contingency and necessity are subject to scaling effects; (3) by showing how degrees of contingency/necessity can change over time. We also argue that further development of Sterelny's notion of conditional inevitability leads to our conclusion that the topography of historical contingency is something that can change over time

Contingency · Contingency plan · Epistemology · Subject (documents · Computer Science · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · History · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science