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Definition:
In scholastic philosophy, an accident refers to some characteristic which does not
exist necessarily but instead exists as part of something else. Examples would include
color, size, etc. In Aristotelian logic, an accident is a type of property which
an object has, but which that object does not necessarily have (essence).
The term stems from the Latin ad, which means "toward," and cadere,
which means "to fall."
Sometimes a distinction is made between extrinsic and intrinsic accidents. An extrinsic accident is a characteristic which does not affect the nature of the object but which, instead, will affect the object's surroundings. An intrinsic accident is something which does affect the nature of the object. An example of an intrinsic accident would be gender - it is not part of the essence of a human being to be either male or female, but possession of one or the other has an important influence on the nature of a particular human.
There is also an informal fallacy called the fallacy of accident. This involves applying a generally reliable rule to one particular situation without taking into account other relevant features which might make it an exception to the rule. Example:
Healthy adult birds can fly. Therefore, this healthy, adult ostrich can fly.
Obviously the above conclusion is false, although the premise is correct. The error lies in the fact that other important features about the ostrich are ignored. If you understand the difference between essence and accident, you can look at the fallacy of accident as confusing an accidental characteristic for an essential characteristic.
The fallacy of accident is also known as a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid, Dicto Simpliciter (which literally means "from the phrase without qualification to the same phrase qualified) and Sweeping Generalization.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is the Logic and the Philosophy of Language?
The two fields Logic and the Philosophy of Language are often treated separately, but they are nevertheless close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language, on the other hand, involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
