The concepts of accident and essence are themselves historically contingent.
Evidence
It is as though, in history, in my history, a strange accident happened to the word ‘accident’ (and hence to the word ‘essence’), an accident of which I am no longer sure, of which no one can be sure of being able to sublate. — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 173
Categorization
- DEFINE: Shows that ‘accident’ and ‘essence’ belong to an idiom whose own meaning has undergone an accident — the meta-level twist where the category of the accidental is itself subject to historical accident.
- QUESTION: Why did Derrida say an accident happened to the word ‘accident’ here — what historical event does he have in mind that broke the Greek idiom’s stability?
- XREF: connects to: Philosophy reveals how accidents become essential and essence becomes accidental; The essence of necessity is contingency, grounded in an event — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 128; Plasticity’s mechanism is the substance-subject seesaw between essence and accident — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 1256 (+4 more)
Broader Connections
- Philosophy reveals how accidents become essential and essence becomes accidental
#expands(0.90) - The essence of necessity is contingency, grounded in an event
#expands(0.85) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 128 - Plasticity’s mechanism is the substance-subject seesaw between essence and accident
#qualifies(0.80) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 1256 - Senses themselves have a history and differ across lifeworlds.
#exemplifies(0.80) - Essence is one’s accumulated past, made by living rather than predetermined.
#expands(0.75) - The converse fallacy of accident arises from generalizing from inadequate instances.
#contradicts(0.70) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 1106