Do determinists believe that everything happens for a reason?

Question

Or are they two seperate concepts?

Answer 1

They are somewhat similar, but I believe they are different. Determinists believe there's something greater, bigger out there that makes things happen and that it's fate and events are pre-determined. But, I don't believe it necessarily leads to the thought that things happen for a reason. I believe the thought that things happens for a reason has to do with faith and not fate.

Answer 2

The belief that everything happens for a reason is only PART, but by no means all, of deterministic thought

"We are taught that everything that happens has a reason that can be discovered with sufficient analysis, but if this is true, then everything is deterministic because anything nondeterministic has no reason (this is the overall philosophy of science even if there are places where science explicitly posits nondeterminism). "


"For centuries we have thought that the Newtonian universe was like a clock, i.e. run by laws that are very deterministic in nature. However, as we began to understand quantum physics we found that just the opposite was true, i.e. the universe is very 'probabilistic' - it wasn't deterministic at all (even though there are some that still want to hang on to the old view). That is why Einstein coined the phrase "Does God play dice with the universe"? Because of what phycisists have learned in the 20th century we have reason to doubt the Newtonian view of the universe. We did not doubt it willy-nilly we had good reasons based on what the evidence suggested. In fact, many would argue that quantum physics put the death nail in the deterministic view of the universe, but this is a separate issue.

Answer 3

Determinism is the assumption that everything - each thing that occurs - is the *necessary* effect of a previous cause.

In other words, if determinism is true, present events are completely caused by past events and future events will be completely caused by present events. In sense, it means that the whole universe is a single event, an unbroken chain of causes and effects.

So, if determinism is true, there is a reason (an explanation) for everything, namely the unbroken chain of causes and effects.

Ultimately, causes and effects are due to the Laws of Nature, the laws, for which science searches, that always apply and are apparently unbreakable.

Quantum physics has not shown that determinism is false, it has only shown that it doesn't apply at the sub-atomic level. What it has shown is that events are matters of probability rather than necessity.

Because of this, it is possible that an event could occur in which heat applied to water would cause it to freeze instead of boil. But such an event is so improbable that it has almost certainly never occurred, and never will, in the whole history of the universe.

Answer 4

Who is determinists is the first question? Some people with certain beliefs think so. The Bible tells us that everything made is made by God, not man. We can't destroy, yet, we can create out of what is given here on earth. Everthing happening for a reason, no - in the sense I feel you have worded your question. It is up to each one of us to make things happen for the good or bad regardless of the outcome.

Silver Birch

Answer 5

your question is a tautology of sorts. they are determinists because their is a reason for everything and that this cause is *never* the free will of a human being.

Answer 6

The nature is highly organised and we try to find only those answers which are accptable to our thinking and awhen can't reach the required goal we start reasoning and when can't do even that we say they are seperate concepts.