Accidentalism is a term with several meanings.
- In philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
, it is used for any systemSystem is a set of interacting or interdependent entities forming an integrated whole....
of thoughtThought and thinking are mental forms and processes, respectively . Thinking allows beings to model the world and to deal with it according to their objectives, plans, ends and desires. Words referring to similar concepts and processes include cognition, sentience, consciousness, idea, and...
which denies the causal nexusA nexus is a connection or the centre of something. Nexus may refer to:- In organizations :* NEXUS International Broadcasting Association, a non-profit association of broadcasters and producers...
and maintains that events succeed one another haphazardly or by chance (not in the mathematical but in the popular sense). In metaphysicsMetaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. Cosmology and ontology are traditional branches of metaphysics. It is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world...
, accidentalism denies the doctrine that everything occurs or results from a definite cause. In this connection it is synonymous with TychismTychism is a thesis proposed by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce that defines absolute chance as a real operative in the universe. This doctrine forms a central part of Peirce's comprehensive evolutionary cosmology...
(ruxi, chance), a term used by Charles Sanders Peirce for the theories which make chance an objective factor in the process of the Universe.
- In religion
A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
it refers to the theory that Jesus did not intend to be crucified, and was surprised at that outcome.
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Accidentalism is a term with several meanings.
- In philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
, it is used for any systemSystem is a set of interacting or interdependent entities forming an integrated whole....
of thoughtThought and thinking are mental forms and processes, respectively . Thinking allows beings to model the world and to deal with it according to their objectives, plans, ends and desires. Words referring to similar concepts and processes include cognition, sentience, consciousness, idea, and...
which denies the causal nexusA nexus is a connection or the centre of something. Nexus may refer to:- In organizations :* NEXUS International Broadcasting Association, a non-profit association of broadcasters and producers...
and maintains that events succeed one another haphazardly or by chance (not in the mathematical but in the popular sense). In metaphysicsMetaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. Cosmology and ontology are traditional branches of metaphysics. It is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world...
, accidentalism denies the doctrine that everything occurs or results from a definite cause. In this connection it is synonymous with TychismTychism is a thesis proposed by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce that defines absolute chance as a real operative in the universe. This doctrine forms a central part of Peirce's comprehensive evolutionary cosmology...
(ruxi, chance), a term used by Charles Sanders Peirce for the theories which make chance an objective factor in the process of the Universe.
- In religion
A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
it refers to the theory that Jesus did not intend to be crucified, and was surprised at that outcome. Encyclopedia Britannica
- In ethics
Ethics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is , how moral values should be determined , how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations , how moral...
the term is used, like indeterminismIndeterminism is a philosophical position that maintains that some form of determinism is incorrect: that there are events which do not correspond with determinism .While the ontological determinism rules out the chance, theorizing that the becoming is only by necessity, the...
, to denote the theoryThe term theory has two broad sets of meanings, one used in the empirical sciences and the other used in philosophy, mathematics, logic, and across other fields in the humanities. There is considerable difference and even dispute across academic disciplines as to the proper usages of the term...
that mentalMind is the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself...
changeChange can mean:* The process of becoming different:** Social change** Biological metamorphosis** The mathematical study of change* Small denominations of money given in exchange for a larger denominationChange may also refer to:...
cannot always be ascribed to previously ascertained psychological states, and that volition is not causally related to the motives involved. An example of this theory is the doctrine of the liberum arbitrium indifferentiae ("liberty of indifference"), according to which the choice of two or more alternative possibilities is affected neither by contemporaneous dataThe term data means groups of information that represent the qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables...
of an ethical or prudential kind nor by crystallized habit (character).
Opponents of accidentalism maintain that what seems to be the result of chance is in realityReality, in everyday usage, means "the state of things as they actually exist." Literally, the term denotes what is real; in its widest sense, this includes everything that is, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. Reality in this sense includes being and sometimes is considered to...
due to a cause or causes which, owing to the lack of imagination, knowledge, or scientific instruments, we are unable to detect.
- In painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
, the term accidentalism is used for the effect produced by accidental lights (John RuskinJohn Ruskin was an English art critic and social thinker, also remembered as an author, poet and artist. His essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras....
, Modern Painters, I. n. 4, iii. 4, 287).
- In medicine
Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, it stands for the hypothesis that diseaseA disease or medical condition isan abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and signs...
is only an accidental modification of the healthy condition, and can, therefore, be avoided by modifying external conditions.
- In music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, the term Accidentalism refers to a style which finds its roots in IDMIntelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s at the end of the British rave era. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
, GlitchA glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, and in circuit bending, as well as among players of video games, although it is applied to all types of systems including human organizations and nature...
and BreakcoreBreakcore is a style of electronic dance music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and industrial music that is characterized by its use of heavy kick drums, breaks and a wide pallet of sampling sources, played at high tempos....
. Its main characteristic is the use of randomization and chaos theory to control aspects of certain sounds and effects parameters and even the melodic and harmonic structure of the work, resulting in a produced yet unique sound in each performance. As a musical term, Accidentalism was coined by Electronic musician/Multi-media artist, Computo.
- In the history
The history of Spain spans the period from Prehistoric Iberia, through the rise and fall of the first global empire, to Spain's current position as a member of the European Union.Modern humans entered the Iberian Peninsula more than 35,000 years ago...
and politics of SpainThe Politics of Spain take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Head of State and the President of the Government is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is vested in the government...
, Accidentalism refers to the position of the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous RightThe Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right was a Spanish political party in the Second Spanish Republic. A Roman Catholic conservative force, it united tendencies which ranged from Christian Democracy to Fascism...
(CEDA) regarding the Second Spanish RepublicThe Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14, 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country following local and municipal elections in which republican candidates won the majority of votes in urban areas and April 1, 1939, when the last of the Republican ...
- that CEDA did not endorse the constitutional arrangements of the Republic but they did accept them, allowing then to participate in the institutions of the Republic whilst attracting support from monarchists.