When What Had to Happen Was Not Bound to Happen

History, Chance, Narrative, Evolution

Bibliographic Data

ID5050185
AuthorsJohn Beatty (0000-0003-1168-4279, University of British Columbia), Isabel Carrera, Irma Veronica Rodas Carrera (0009-0005-8642-836X, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico)
Year2011
Volume5
Issue3
Pages471-495
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the Philosophy of History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1872-261X • E-ISSN: 1872-2636
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/187226311x599916
OpenAlexW2094940840
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited4

What is it for history to matter? Stephen Gould argued that unpredictability is part of the answer. For example, the "fact" that repeated replays of the history of life would end differently every time is a sign that history matters to the course of evolution. But there is a problem here: if a particular point in the past leaves open alternative possible futures, then in what sense does that point in the past matter with regard to which of the outcomes occurs? We argue that unpredictability is central to the importance of history. However, it is not the unpredictability of the future, but rather the unpredictability of the past itself that is the key. History matters when a particular future depends on a particular past that was not bound to happen, but did

Economics · Epistemology · Futures contract · Linguistics · Medieval history · Narrative · Point (geometry · Positive economics · Sign (mathematics · Classics · Evolution and Science Education · History · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science

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