Is your life predetermined your life already decided like a character in a book or is there free will. If fate does exist then are there really criminals because they can't change their fate so should they be blamed for their actions. Then again if fate doesn't exist and its free will then how do we know, because it might by fate that we are thinking that fate doesn't exist. Is this a paradox or is it possible to determine.
2007-02-14 12:12:11 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
take a coin. that coin is you. you are GOD of that coin. That coin will be thrown on the ground by you in three seconds. It WILL hit the ground. Do this several times , It WILL hit the ground EVERY time. But Did it fall the EXACT same way EVERY time? no. this is a simple illistration of the difference between fate and free will. you chose to throw the coin on the ground(Fate),however it chose how it would land(Free Will). if you don't understand this then you got exactly what I was saying......
2007-02-14 12:26:15 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a paradox, and the best minds in philosophy have wrestled with it.
There is one kind of fate that is based on choice. Let's say for example that you decide to knock your head against a concrete wall. The pain and swelling you feel is inevitable after this choice has been made.
There is another kind of fate that seems to operate on chance. In a plane wreck, everybody but 2 are killed. Or, you survive an influenza epidemic when everyone you know succumbs.
As for criminals, this too is very thorny. Modern research into sociopathy shows that certain people have defective brain functioning, especially in that area of the brain that relates to empathy. Without an inborn ability to feel empathy, these people become predators. We don't know why these people are born this way. It may turn out to be from environmental toxins in utero, or bad genes. Whatever the cause, it does seem that an element of choice (free will) is missing. If that is true, then punishing criminals may be misguided. A thorny issue to be sure.
2007-02-14 20:23:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
How fate is determined depends on what you believe. If you are a religious person, then you would most likely believe that fate is predetermined, that God has already chosen who you will become and what is in store for your future. Others believe that fate is by choice, or by luck itself.
I myself believe that it is a combination of the two. I am a fairly religious person and believe that God has something to do with our fate, but he did give us the right to think for ourselves and make decisions.
I hope that answered your question.
Cheers,
Ace
2007-02-14 20:21:58 · answer #3 · answered by Dr. Ace Moltz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both do exist, however, one term needs adjusting. What you call "fate", Christians call God's foreknowledge, predetermination and predestination.
It is not easy to understand, but the free will we exercise was known by God, planned by God before recorded time began. Only when we consider an infinite, all-knowing and sovereign God can we begin to understand this idea.
2007-02-14 20:27:57 · answer #4 · answered by Bob T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The whole is made of many parts. Fate and free will intertwine to determine outcome. It is fate to have to struggle for years to learn a second language,( some people just lack the natural abilty to quickly learn languages) it is my free will that let them overcome the disability and learn a second language. A person may be inclined to be ill-tempered, it is free will that allows them to let the ill-temper cause them to say murder, or walk away from the precieved aggravation.
2007-02-14 20:20:03 · answer #5 · answered by Grace St. Andrew 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you make your own path in life. Just think about it... You can be or do almost anything you want as long as you make a plan to get there in steps. So I think you make most of the decisions in your life, but some things are just fate.
2007-02-14 20:16:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is both from 2 different perspectives. If you are in a level of understanding that you are one with the creator...enlightened then, it is based upon your choice, if you are just the created being from your viewpoint, then, it is predetermined by the creator!
june
2007-02-14 22:52:32 · answer #7 · answered by enlightenment2121 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One's patterns of behavior are preset, but your future is not. A "fortune teller" can look into your future, based upon your present path of action, but it can be changed just by changing your behavior and decision-making process. For instance, a tarot reader can look at your cards and tell you that an opportunity to cange your career is coming, but it is still up to you whether you change your career or not, and which job you'll take.
2007-02-14 20:22:35 · answer #8 · answered by Angela M 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your life is predestined, only like a book you can't open, it remains unknown, but the choices you made and are about to make were made at the instant time began. Because everything is made of star-stuff and obeys the immutable laws of nature.
2007-02-14 20:57:36 · answer #9 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are asking the classic question related to "free will." Nobody knows the answer completely. A famous writer once wrote: "We MUST believe in free will. We have no choice." Think about it.
2007-02-14 22:19:34 · answer #10 · answered by Bluebeard 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋