Essay about The Question of Free Will Versus Fate - 910 Words

The question of free will--the idea that we are free to make decisions unhindered by external forces--is very disconcerting to deal with because most people are not willing to accept that we are not in control of our lives. It is also controversial because it wrestles with the idea of a world possibly without moral responsibility. If there is no free will how do we hold a person responsible for molesting someone or for stealing? If someone actually didnt decide to do either of those things but rather was just going through the motions then it doesnt seem right to hold them culpable. Consider the concept of free will in the example of walking on the street and find a wallet with $200 inside of it. Do you sent it back to the†¦show more content†¦A common argument is that any final choice we make is simply a feeling inside of us that makes the conclusion on whether to take the wallet or not. The external and internal factors may lean us toward a decision but ultimately we have the last say. Yet, still questions arise to this such as why do we make this final decision if not from these factors? Where did these morals or whatever the case may be come from? It is difficult to argue for the concept of fate or determinism and say this was all planned out from the beginning of time knowing some things in nature happen randomly-- meaning given the same circumstances two opposite results can and often do happen (Heisenbergs Uncertainty Principle). One factor of thisprinciple is illustrated with the example that if you throw a ball against a wall it will bounce off in the same direction each time. However, if you take an atom and throw it off a wall there are endless directions it ricochets when repeated. If one argues that a decision they made came from nowhere, nothing affected a man/woman to have them and are completely random, then they are not ones choices at all--just a roll of the dice which the person has no control over. The same problem arises if the arg ument comes up that either our decisions or personalities come from God. The first problem would be proving the existence of God. The second and more prevailing argument is that even if it is found our attributes and/orShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Fate In Oedipus708 Words   |  3 Pagesthat fate has led him to be ignorant of his the fact that those he considers his parents are not really his biological parents. The play portrays Oedipus as a man with much love for his family. Though he wishes to see his parents, he vows not to return to his home in Corinth for fear of falling into fate’s hands. Had he known who his parents are beforehand, he never would have slain his father and married his mother. His actions are noble and meant for the greater good however, twist of fate corruptRead MoreThe Themes Of Ambition In Shakespeares Macbeth853 Words   |  4 Pagesare many different themes displayed in Shakespeares famous play Macbeth. Many of these themes play with nature, the supernatural, and fate. From ghosts to horses eating each other the play uses symbolism, language, and characters to portray these themes. During the play the audience learns of several themes such as ambition, guilt, fate versus free will, nature versus the unnatural, and how things are not always as they seem. Anyone who has read or seen Macbeth knows that his great undoing was hisRead MoreFate Vs Fate Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesFate can be thought about as life being predetermined for the entirety of your days. From the early writings from Homer, specifically in the poem, The Iliad, there is a clear representation of whether it is free will or fate after all. Although we may never know whether there is a predetermined path or rather just free, it can only make one wonder. For most Greek Mythology, it is been evident that most of people’s decisions were not free will but rather fate itself. While people think they have freeRead MoreFree Will : Ancient Literature1536 Words   |  7 PagesConcept of Free Will: Ancient Literature in the West Free will is considered to be a philosophical term for a course of action among many possible options. It is a topic that almost every philosopher has debated for over two millennia. â€Å"Free will is defined as the ability to select a course of action as a means of fulfilling some desire† (O’Connor, 2002). Many philosophers think that free will is closely associated with moral responsibility as well as freedom of action. Free will is a human necessityRead More Fate Versus Free Will Essay1746 Words   |  7 PagesFate Versus Free Will Fate, as described in the Oxford English Dictionary, is â€Å"The principle, power, or agency by which, according to certain philosophical and popular systems of belief, all events, or some events in particular, are unalterably predetermined from eternity.† To the western world, fate is perceived as â€Å"a sentence or doom of the gods† (Oxford). They often sought prophecies of the gods, especially from Apollo, the god of knowledge. The Greeks would seek prophecies usually whenRead More Fate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay1232 Words   |  5 PagesFate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart   Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragic story of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart offers many examples of Igbo beliefs regarding free will and fate. Religious life for the Igbo was thoroughly intertwined with secular life. According to the text, the Igbo believed in fate; that nothing happened by chance as every happenstance was the result of Chukwu or Gods will. Yet the Igbo also believed that ancestors, lesser gods, and their own chi or personalRead More Adam in Miltons Paradise Lost Essay1603 Words   |  7 PagesParadise Lost: Fates Ruler - and Subject A central problem in John Miltons Paradise Lost in the theological issue of free will versus fate, a traditionally much-debated question. Free will is the condition of having control or direction over fate or destiny; the individual shapes his life and future through his actions. The opposing view, complete lack of free will (made famous by John Calvin), is predestination, which expresses the idea that our futures have been foreseen long before ourRead MoreDiscourse on Metaphysics by Leibniz Essays612 Words   |  3 Pageshappens in the world. With such a reality there would be no use for free will and whatever fate succumbs an individual is the will of the Most High; in other words, being destined. But for Leibniz, this is not the determined reality of humanity. Leibniz asserts, that it is God and only God, who has the insight of mans greatest reality. And man is unable to derive all of what he is, and is to become. For only God can foresee his fate. Leibniz suggest it is the perfect and good outcome, that God hasRead MoreSimilarities Between Oedipus Rex And The Kite Runner1391 Words   |  6 PagesFate versus Destiny: Is divine justice righteous when fate or destiny is present? Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner are both profound works of literature that share two immensely universal themes, those themes being fate/free will and divine justice. These two themes are quite prominent throughout both pieces of writing and serve to facilitate a very humanistic connection between the audience and the story. Although both of these stories consist of the two themes mentioned, they each express themRead MoreCandide, Macbeth and Oedipus Rex1525 Words   |  6 PagesIn Candide, Macbeth and Oedipus Rex, fate and free will are always two opposing themes reflect on major characters. Fate is a belief that the future is predetermined, and it’s truly impossible to convert the consequence. No matter how people endeavor, the same thing will happen because that is what is supposed to occur. It’s also the philosophy that everything happens for a reason or relates to the God, things don’t happen â€Å"just because†. Free will is a constant concept tha t people act freely upon