Fate/Destiny?

Fox♠

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    Do you believe in it? Personally I try not to, I'd rather think I have some form of control over my own life, however recent events that have led into other events have made me question my own beliefs on it. So how do you all feel about it?
     
    I would say that we have our own free will to do as we want. I wouldn't say that there is a spiritual or pre-determined map in which we all follow from day 1, but I would say that some peopel are destined to do things given their ability or their personality. For example, someone with an astounding artistic ability might be destined to become great some day, but they have the ability to change their path and become a news reader if they so wish to, thus having free will and denying their destiny. In my opinion, "fate" sounds like less strong than destiny but I feel that fate is the pre-determined events that will happen in life, I just dont think that we're that restricted. As I say, some people are destined to do certain things but always have the ability to change that.
     
    Yeah that seems reasonable enough. I've started to think though, sometimes we're meant to go through hell because those events take us to somewhere/someone we're supposed to be. I mean you know about my recent irl issues, and I can honestly say where I am now I'm happy, and if it wasn't for all the crap i took, I wouldn't of ended up there.
     
    No things such as fate exist, it'd make human beings be nothing but dolls and there wouldn't even have a purpose, after all.
     
    It's something like I've said to myself recently, now I'm a perfectly happy, outgoing and blissful guy, but I've gone through a lot of turmoil and issues in my life like a lot of people have done. The thing that made me wonder was; all the things I went through ledd to how I feel today, so if I had been perfectly happy back then, would I still be now? It's a bit of a complex, must we suffer hardship in order to be led to happiness? Or is there a fate system that decides which one we'll end up being? I'd probably stick with my original point though, in saying that by free will, we do have the choice. I don't believe our futures are "mapped out for us" like Augustine of Hippo did, though that was more religious, linking to my point on spirituality.
     
    Gav your post just raised a new query wikth me.
    What about Karma?
    Does it exist, I feel that the concept is part of fate so. I'm unsure, I think to a degree there is a balance.
     
    Karma kind of contradicts fate in a big way. Unless you flip that around and say that fate determines what karma you choose, thus making karma pretty senseless given that it's meant to be by choice. With that said, I believe in karma more so, again, not in a spiritual sense but I feel that if you're a good person, you'll get kindness in return for the most part. Obviously there's many things to contradict that however, but by majority.
     
    I beleive that everyone has a destiny. But, I also believe that your destiny can be changed a little by who you are and what you do.
     
    Honestly I define Fate and Destiny a little differently than some might.

    To me, Fate is made up of all the inevitable events that you cannot, or can no longer change the course of, or prevent from happening to you. Of course Fate is controlled by Destiny.

    Destiny is where you're headed in life. It consists of all the things you can freely influence, as well as the factors that are not so easily influenced, but are possible if you play your cards right. You dictate your Destiny by how you act, react and live. Of course, Destiny only changes to Fate at the last possible moment when it's impossible for you to take a different path and change things.

    Additionally, Fate can be used in the past tense. It's the best term to describe what has happened to a person when addressing Fate/Destiny in my opinion.

    With all of that being said, I believe in both of them, but very very little of your Fate is predetermined before birth. Just the general stuff like, you will die, you will get old, ect...

    Where natural laws and irreversible natural process take effect mainly
     
    I don't believe in fate, but the future is fixed. And if it isn't fixed, we aren't free.

    The universe is governed almost entirely by cause and effect, this includes activity in the brain. Thus an infinitely intelligent being would be able to, using this fact, see every single event, past and future, by simply observing the totality of causes and effects and their progression - this is called Determinism.

    Now, if something isn't determined, then it is random.If my actions are caused by random events, then I am not free. Therefore, determinism is a necessary condition for freedom.

    (A little something we did in Philosophy at college two years ago)
     
    STOP! Repost time!

    The possible outcomes of our actions changes with each one we make. 'Destiny' is the concept of these outcomes due to the actions, to me at least. Under this guise it becomes a simple word to express result, so my answer is no, destiny in the popular prophetic sense doesn't exist.


    Fox♠ said:
    What about Karma?
    Click to expand...
    'Tis natural for wrongdoers by some standard to be apprehended for it. Likewise if you do good, well of course people are going to like you, and be nice to you because they're selfish and want more gratification. Simple cause and expectable effect, 'you reap what you sow', but if you ask me there's no karmic force guiding everything ultimately into a moral stalemate.


    But everything like this is a matter of perception, I don't claim to know more than the next person.
     
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    Cassino said:
    STOP! Repost time!

    The possible outcomes of our actions changes with each one we make. 'Destiny' is the concept of these outcomes due to the actions, to me at least. Under this guise it becomes a simple word to express result, so my answer is no, destiny in the popular prophetic sense doesn't exist.
    Click to expand...

    In the popular sense, no. But determinism is true and desirable. All our actions are determined as every physical event (including every atom collision) has its own specific effect. Our mental activity, our choices etc are all just a series of events determined by the laws of nature. Although, we are still free. The idea of being able to have done differently is over-simplistic. If I did one thing in a certain situation and if I went back to the same situation with exactly same same circumstances surrounding it but acted differently, it would suggest something other than my own will 'moved' me to my actions - ie/ it is random, the enemy of freedom.
     
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