Determinism

Do you believe in free will? Or do you believe that everything has a preset destiny?

Determinism states that every action in the universe including human behavior is pre determined by an unbroken chain of previous events. The roots of determinism are based on a simple philosophical idea: The idea that everything can, in principal, be explained, or that everything that is, has a sufficient reason for being as it is, and not otherwise. Do not get this confused with fate or predestination. Fate is due to an act of god and suggests a higher purpose to our lives. Determinism is simply the result of the chain of causality, no god or purpose.

What do you believe?

 

In physics, we know the the "chain of causality" is broken by entropy, chaos, and a matter of indeterminate probability.

Because some things are said to be random or chaotic, and not necessarily based on direct causation, I would have to say no. I do not believe in determinism in the sense you speak of.

 

I believe it is true for the average person. I believe that the average, "normal" person is subject to determinism, but the obscure of us and the "abnormal" of us are simply abnormal because we don't obey this principle. I think that normal and abnormal are determined based on your ability to follow "the guidelines of your life".

 

That's a valid point, things on a subatomic scale are said to be random and undeterminable, but do you think that on a grand scale that determinism could exist.

 

Well it's just not the subatomic scale... and as you might notice... the small things are part of the big ones ^^.