Aristotle on the Efficiency of Accidental Causes

In this chapter, the author reviews Aristotle’s assertions throughout the Corpus about accidental causes to show that accidental causes are generally ineffective and therefore also epistemologically irrelevant. He shows that chance and luck constitute an exception to this rule, since Aristotle conceives of them as effective, although indeterminate, accidental causes. Before talking about accidental causes, it makes sense to clarify the notion of the accidental in general. Although someone unfamiliar with the art of gastronomy could produce a mouthwatering dish with beginner’s luck, if the people really want a mouthwatering dish, it is better to ask someone who has cultivated the art of producing mouthwatering dishes to make it. This is an aspect of the doctrine of chance to which attention is not always paid and that also contains the key to understanding the topic of the efficacy of this type of accidental cause. ©Routledge, Taylor & Francis.