Do you believe in determinism and fatalism?

Forums: Philosophy
Email this Topic • Print this Page

http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/determinism.html

I like the ideas of William James I feel each event in our lives lead onto a Host of other events both good and bad or does random chance play a part in our existence or is ones life laid out for them in advance leading to a sense of Fatalism??

Determinism

Determinism is the philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs.

Determinism is a modern name (nineteenth-century) for Democritus' ancient idea that causal laws control the motion of atoms, and that everything - including human minds - consists merely of atoms in a void.

As Democritus' mentor and fellow materialist Leucippus put it, an absolute necessity leaves no room in the cosmos for chance.

"Nothing occurs at random, but everything for a reason and by necessity." 1
οὐδὲν χρῆμα μάτην γίνεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐκ λόγου τε καὶὑπ' ἀνάγκης

Determinism, especially the variation of "soft" determinism (cf. William James) or compatibilism, is supported as a theory of free will by a majority of philosophers, each with special vested interests in one or more of the many determinisms.
Compatibilism is a form of determinism that argues man is free as long as his own will is one of the steps in the causal chain, even if his choices are completely predetermined for physical reasons or preordained by God.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 0 • Views: 955 • Replies: 1

No top replies

@Alan McDougall,

If by determinism, you mean the hard determinism of LaPlace's demon, I do not believe in determinism.
If by fatalism you mean that all of your actions are predetermined and unchangeable, I do not believe in fatalism.
Certain kinds of events are predictable and unchangeable for instance our sun will eventually burn out of fuel and expand to become a red giant engulfing the earth.

The universe either does of does not have enough matter and gravitational pull to begin to collapse or go on expanding forever.
In human terms however I think the future is open, indeterminate and subject to the choices you make using your "free will".

So some things are fated or determined but most things that occur on a human scale or in complex systems involving "perception and mind" are not.

0 Replies

Do you believe in determinism and fatalism?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know