...Or are we just at the hands of our fate, already written in the stars?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will."
- Jawaharlal Nehru
Fate and the idea that our futures, destinies, and deaths are already written in the stars is prevalent among stories. This idea is in essence, the philosophical idea of hard determinism. If the universe works in cause and effect, like falling dominos, do we also? Explore determinism and free will by opening the sidebar.
When asked the question, "Do you believe in free will?" Statistically most people say yes. Why deny it when people's natural instinct tells them so strongly? But is free will actually a reality or just an illusion? How do we, if we can, prove it one side or the other? Explore determinism and free will by opening the sidebar.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do stories tell us about the philosophical question of determinism vs. free will?
As long as humans have been around, stories have been shared across time and space, to spread ideas and share questions and beliefs about the universe and humans as a whole. In philosophy, one of the biggest questions humans have yet to answer is, 'Do we have free will?' Is there a supernatural force, maybe the universe itself, by the name of fate, that has our entire future planned out for us? How do stories provide perspective and answer this question?
Open the sidebar(top left corner) for details on both sides of the argument, then come back to this page(home), and fill out the survey below ~