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The Metaphysics of Chance
Article first published online: 29 OCT 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2010.00345.x
© 2010 The Author. Philosophy Compass © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
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How to Cite
Briggs, R. (2010), The Metaphysics of Chance. Philosophy Compass, 5: 938–952. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2010.00345.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 29 OCT 2010
- Article first published online: 29 OCT 2010
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Abstract
This article surveys several interrelated issues in the metaphysics of chance. First, what is the relationship between the probabilities associated with types of trials (for instance, the chance that a twenty-eight-year old develops diabetes before age thirty) and the probabilities associated with individual token trials (for instance, the chance that I develop diabetes before age thirty)? Second, which features of the the world fix the chances: are there objective chances at all, and if so, are there non-chancy facts on which they supervene? Third, can chance be reconciled with determinism, and if so, how?