Aristotle said in his book, Rhetoric:
'Thus every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, passion, or desire.'
Within this, he notes that all actions are due either to emotion or reason and that we seek pleasant things and act to reduce pain.
'Thus every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, passion, or desire.'
Within this, he notes that all actions are due either to emotion or reason and that we seek pleasant things and act to reduce pain.
Chance
Chance events affect us all the time and, although some have little effect in changing what we do, a number of others force us to act or otherwise motivate us into action.
'The things that happen by chance are all those whose cause cannot be determined, that have no purpose, and that happen neither always nor usually nor in any fixed way.'
Nature
Natural forces are those 'originating in the body, such as the desire for nourishment, namely hunger and thirst' as well as other forces, such as to procreate.
'Those things happen by nature which have a fixed and internal cause; they take place uniformly, either always or usually.'
Compulsions
Compulsion occurs when we feel that we must act, even though we may not wish to act this way. This may be compliance with the law or dysfunctional obsessive-compulsive behavior.
'Those things happen through compulsion which take place contrary to the desire or reason of the doer, yet through his own agency.'
Compulsion occurs when we feel that we must act, even though we may not wish to act this way. This may be compliance with the law or dysfunctional obsessive-compulsive behavior.
'Those things happen through compulsion which take place contrary to the desire or reason of the doer, yet through his own agency.'
Source and Credits: Changing minds