mddm (2): double contingency

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/19/01 11:25:38 AM, lorentzen-nicklaus at t-online.de writes:

<< contingency = that which is neither impossible nor necessary 

 >>

Yes, as the noun. But when something (some state) "is contingent
upon" some other state, then there is a whiff of dependency, or at
least causation, in the air. Now, it may only be a possibility- a glint in
some terrorist's eye- and never come to pass, but in order for the 
the unnecessary but possible to come into existence, a sequence of
contigent events must be set in motion, either by accident, by god 
or by volition.

Something for the historians to sort out.