ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the element of Clausewitz's remarkable trinity which concerns the play of chance and probability within which the creative spirit is free to roam. It combines interpretation of Clausewitz's work with historical evidence and modern scholarship to develop a comprehensive conception of this tendency. The origins of Clausewitz's ideas on Influence subject are certainly somewhat unclear and diverse, aspects of his own experiences merge with imagery reflective of Romantic literature; humanistic philosophy finds its place next to concepts drawn from the physical sciences. Clausewitz was adamant that earlier Enlightenment theorists had devoted insufficient attention to the concepts of chance and uncertainty. Clausewitz was an avid reader of Machiavelli and believed that his judgement in military matters is very sound. The concept of chance employed by Clausewitz is intended in its pure form, as arbitrary and incalculable events characterised by an absence of predictability or regularity in the sequence of action and its antecedent conditions.
