So, basically fatalism is the belief that there is no free will, and that everything that happens in fated to happen no matter what you try and do to change it.

Wikipedia has this to say on fatalism:



This post has been edited by Above The Rest: Nov 16 2007, 01:45 AM

This is the belief of some religions I believe. That no matter what you try to do that God has planned every minute of your life from birth to death and there is no changing that, and no free will. This is based on one verse in the bible (I forget the actual verse, but it's in psalms); however, from what I read God hasn't set what your going to do, but rather he knows what your going to do because time is no constraint for him. He can put every action of yours in his book because he already knows what your going to do, not because he's making you do it, so you do have control of your life and what you do, but God already knows what you are going to do.

Yeah, I don't understand how a hypothetical being able to see into the future affects free will...

If all that is has been preordained, what is man – in all his arrogant insolence - doing here? To my mind, the two seem at odds, though that would certainly explain our current state of discord. Does a soul imprint for each life exit a-priori despite our innate desire to leave some individual mark to posterity, or are we mere drones destined to carry out the will of the Great Architect? This is a question for the ages, and one we can only venture to throw our limited human conjectures at. Still, the idea of being nothing more than a chess piece in the game of life is certainly one worth challenging. But note how both ideologies, even defeatism, actually imply the existence of God. For those who can read between the philosophical lines, this should come as some spiritual consolation, if nothing else.

I imagine the truth actually lies somewhere between free will and predetermination, though at times “fate” may supercede both for the overall good. Benjamin Franklin was fond of the term “manifest destiny” in describing America’s future as expanding super-power. It was simply destined to be by powers greater than ourselves, or so went the philosophy. So to that end nations, as well as individuals, are assigned a fate. The die has been set, the play has been cast, and the actors are in place...but the mold hasn’t dried just yet. Perhaps man, with his sentient powers of self observation and ability to inflict evil, was introduced to the mix as co-production staff, if you will. Is it possible we also have a part to play in creation?

As I see it, the soul does in fact garner a sort of “blueprint” as it falls into matter, predisposing it to certain psychological attributes, which in turn chart a course of future patterns and preferences. If you guessed Astrology has some part in this theory, you’d be correct: One need look no further than this ancient science to witness it’s effect on the course of man’s history and it’s believers, who were more often than not great leaders and thinkers (including Benjamin Franlkin). Skeptics should ponder this: If a single gene can predetermine much of your physical state, is it so far fetched to believe other forces can predict your spiritual nature, and perhaps, your future?

We should recognize the tools of destiny for what they are and utilize them to our full potential. You may be born with genes that leave you prone to diabetes, but knowing this you can make changes to your diet that help you escape your physical “fate.” And the stars may have predisposed you toward sloth, but having armed yourself with a personal astrological chart, you can also overcome this tendency, thus altering the course of future events……to a degree. Pardon this overly simplistic attempt to describe the indescribable, as it doesn't begin to do justice to this worthy topic. And it is only one possibility of many….

Now, where the heck is the Philosophy forum?

fatalism, as i have interpreted now, seems something similar to resting our hopes on fate. and ,in reality, it doesn't make much sense. i am not sure if this theory would be of any use at all.

looking at philosophically, it may be of use when something keeps going wrong. maybe we could curse fate and keep moving ahead.
but have seen people who don't put in hard work into their actions, just because of the belief that, the effectiveness of their actions is purely based upon fate.