fortuitism
Fortuitism (noun): The philosophical doctrine or belief that events, especially in nature or human life, occur primarily by chance or accident, rather than by design, purpose, or necessity.
- (The belief that chance governs natural processes.)
- (The doctrine that chance is the main cause of events.)
"fortuitism in biology": The idea that random variations, rather than directed changes, are the basis of evolutionary adaptation.
- Darwin’s theory of natural selection contains elements of fortuitism, but it also emphasizes selective pressures. (The role of chance in biological change.)
"fortuitism vs. teleology": A contrast between a chance-driven worldview and one that sees purpose or final causes in nature.
- The debate between fortuitism and teleology has persisted in philosophy for centuries. (The conflict between chance and design.)
Fortuitous (adj): happening by accident or chance.
- Their meeting was entirely fortuitous, not planned. (Occurring by chance.)
Fortuitously (adv): in a way that happens by chance.
- He fortuitously discovered the missing key under the sofa. (By accident or luck.)
Fortuity (n): a chance event or occurrence.
- The discovery was a pure fortuity, not the result of careful research. (An accidental event.)
- Chance: the absence of design or cause.
- Accidentalism: the belief that events are governed by accident.
- Indeterminism: the doctrine that not all events are causally determined.
"by chance": as a result of luck or accident.
- They met by chance at the market. (Without planning or intention.)
"leave nothing to chance": to plan everything carefully, avoiding reliance on luck.
- The team left nothing to chance in preparing for the competition. (They eliminated all uncertainty.)
No phrasal verbs are commonly associated with "fortuitism" as it is a specialized philosophical term.