Does inevitability exist?

Question

I've just managed to confuse myself completely by thinking about this. Surely something is only inevitable after it has been done? How can we know if something is inevitable: and if inevitability is uncertain, then it simply cannot exist, because inevitability is the absolute certainty that something will happen. Please somebody think of a rational answer!!!

Answer 1

you as all of us will inevitably die, so yes it exists

Answer 2

What you are talking about is absolutely right. it's something of a paradox.

You see, people think that something is inevitable if they FEEL it is certain to happen - it doesn't mean that it is. Such as, if two happy couples get engaged, then one feels that marriage is inevitable. However, the couple could break up, at that point not being inevitable, but an unfortunate surprise. But that doesn't mean that inevitability cannot exist.

For example, it is inevitable that we will all age with time. it's a fact of life that will never change. I agree with some of the answerers that death is an inevitability - we will never be able to change that. So it can exist.

As for how we know something is inevitable, it will only come with increased knowledge of circumstances. You will find more inevitabilities with math and science because they can be more defined, concrete, with a final answer (science may vary, but not as much as life). You can plug a few numbers into an equation and always have certain answers and/or results. there are also inevitabilities with some of the basic facts of life.

Life is the only uncertainty. There is no way to predict the future - we can only make educated guesses. those who say a certain event in their life is inevitable are overstating the results - it may never happen, so some better terms would be "likely" or "probable" (remember the marriage example). Try not applying inevitability to situations not related to science, math, or basic facts of life (puberty, old age, natural death). It'll lessen the confusion.

I hope my answer helps!

Answer 3

Inevitability has the same problem as 'free will'. Something is inevitable if there was nothing that could be done to avoid it.

But how can you ever know this? It is flat-out impossible to try EVERYTHING... even if you could take every countermeasure, you could never take them all simultaneously and in every possible order at the same time. The only way you might find out is by repeating the event over and over and finding out if things can possibly turn out differently.

Even this will lead to dubious results. If you avoid the inevitable on the thousandth try, does that make the original event inevitable? Maybe your own knowledge changed in the mean time, or maybe the trials themselves disrupted something.

So - as with most concepts that are completely out of touch with what anyone can possibly know - I'm going to say that inevitability is meaningless. Even if things were inevitable, you'd never know. So it's pointless to label things inevitable one way or another. It's only pretending at knowledge that you can't possibly have. Better to keep an open mind.

Answer 4

It was inevitable that you'd ask this question. Chaos theory depends upon infinite probabilities to bring realities that are inevitable. Sorta like gullibility is not in the dictionary. It's the time frame that screws up the train of thought. Chaos is inevitable, but still is random. The elegance of mathematical theorem converted into reality, ie: Bake a Cake., launch a Saturn 5, requires inevitable consequences. Not perfect, just predictable reality, if all variables are known, but it is inevitable that all variables cannot be known, Heisenberg gets creepy about it. So inevitability means you've got electricity, but when is the question. It is inevitable that mankind would use the very highest technical trumps to produce lurid video of his procreation rites. Inevitable. Had to be. Relax. Relativity will save us all.-

Answer 5

Like lets say that your mother is pregnant,and for there you could say that it is inevitable,for she is pregnant and there is no way around it.State of being is inevitable there is no way around it.

But it is not inevitable,that will to have the baby because you can always control the future,if you are cautious enough.

Present And past are like inevitable,because there is way you can change it

But the future is not necessarity inevitable.

If that makes any sense.

Answer 6

Inevitability exists. Sometimes nobody can prevent events happening, this is called inevitability, like a pationt about to die.
But the border between inevitability and possibility is very narrow, sometimes is nothing and that's when inevitability dies.

Answer 7

Only inevitable exist where Life is.and there is life only in countless of forms known and not known yet...Anything what happened , happening ,or will happen is inevitable...Absence of happening dictate absence of inevitable.

Answer 8

inevitability is certain - but only in the future.

Answer 9

Ever consider taxes and death?