Ian Hacking: Die Zähmung des Zufalls (Band 6)

"Die hmung des Zufalls" (The Taming of Chance) was selected by the "Modern Library" as one of the 100 most important non-fiction books of the 20th century in the English language. Ian Hacking illustrates how, in the late 19th century, it became possible to perceive statistical patterns as self-explanatory and to view the world as not necessarily deterministic. During the same period, the concept of human nature was replaced by a model of the normal person based on the laws of dispersion. These two parallel transformations reinforced each other, making randomness appear less capricious: it was legitimized because it brought order to chaos. Hacking argues that these developments led to the dominance of a new kind of scientific thinking. The greater the degree of indeterminism in our conception of the world and humanity, the more we expect control and interventions in our lives, and the less freedom. The Conquest of Randomness combines detailed history of science research with the breadth characteristic of philosophy of science, infused with enthusiasm, and reveals the relationships between philosophy, natural sciences, mathematics, and the development of social institutions. Simultaneously, it provides a unique and authoritative analysis of the "probabilization" of the Western world.











EPF ESSAYS The volumes in the EPF ESSAYS series represent attempts at disorientation in an increasingly lucid world. Their audience does not perceive it as burdensome to learn something it did not always anticipate. Their structure allows for a committed interplay between theoretical precision and the ease of an essay. Their topics are arbitrary but serve as exemplars. They form nodes in a network woven from the threads of philosophy, sociology, science studies, economics, cultural studies, psychoanalysis, art, politics. This enumeration is not exhaustive. Their program is strictly undisciplinary and aligns with the capricious interests or interested caprices of the editor Peter Schneider. Authors are invited to provide new material based on these whims and interests.

German
268 pages, 6 color images
15 x 92 cm
ISBN: 978-3-907236-64-2