Chance is the opposite of ........... ?
"Chance" is related to "unpredictability" or "uncertainty".
As the uns imply, we often think of "chance" as the opposite of something.
Here are some possible opposites, with trite hypothetical examples.
- Chance as the opposite of physical determinism.
A pendulum, or the orbits of planets, are icons for physical determinism;
a die roll or the weather
in Denver on Valentine's Day next year may in principle be results of deterministic physical forces
but are in practice only statistically predictable.
- Chance as the opposite of usual experience.
Finding my car tire flat one morning
is an event I would attribute to chance.
- Chance as the opposite of individual human volition.
If I encounter a friend in a cafe by chance, the meaning of "by chance" is as
opposed to making an appointment to meet. If I say there's a 50-50 chance I'll go on vacation
because I haven't made up my mind, the "chance" just means "non-decision".
- Chance as the opposite of skill.
Saying a team was lucky to win a sports match is implying they were
less skillful than their opponents.
- Chance as the opposite of collective human planning.
Seeing the start of a construction project, to build a 7-storey building in 18 months, you might say
"I bet it takes 2 years" but you wouldn't say "I bet it has 8 storeys".
Here you are recogizing practical unpredictability in some aspects of
human ventures
(and identifying it with chance) in contrast to practical predictability of other aspects.
- Chance as the opposite of superstition.
Your friend walks under a ladder, trips over a black cat and breaks his ankle.
Superstitious effect or just chance?
- Chance as the opposite of fate.
They..... who await
No gifts from Chance, have conquered Fate.
(Matthew Arnold).
- Chance as the opposite of divine volition.
In
Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution and a Rational Faith
the author, Cardinal Schoenborn, uses "chance" precisely as the opposite of "divine volition",
unless I completely misunderstand him.