Fatalism?

Google

Did you mean | Travel | Economics | Finance | Marketing | Business | Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology | New site added |

Add a link on the top of this Fatalism page Express submission by secure payment !


Fatalism is the view that human deliberation and actions are pointless and ineffectual in determining events, because whatever will be will be.

One ancient argument, called the idle argument, went like this:

  • If it is fated for you to recover from your illness, then you will recover whether you call a doctor or not.
  • Likewise, if you are fated not to recover, you will not do so even if you call a doctor.
  • So, calling a doctor makes no difference.

Arguments like the above are usually rejected even by causal determinists, who may say that it may be determined that only a doctor can cure you. There are other examples that show clearly that human deliberation makes a big difference - a chess player who deliberates should usually be able to defeat one of equal strength who is only allowed one second per move.

Determinism should therefore not be mistaken for fatalism. Although determinists would accept that the future is in some sense set, they accept human actions as factors that will cause the future to take the shape that it will - even though those human actions are themselves determined; if they had been different, the future would also be different.

Arguments for fatalism, although rarely accepted, do have a bearing on discussions about the nature of truth. The logical argument for fatalism says that, if there will be a sea battle tomorrow, and someone says "there will be a sea battle tomorrow" then that sentence is true, even before the sea battle occurs. But given that the sentence is true, the sea battle could not fail to take place. This argument can be rejected by denying that predictions about the future have to be true or false when they are made - ie, rejecting bivalence for sentences about the future, though this is controversial.

Related to fatalism is the debate over whether the alleged omniscience of God is compatible with free will, or whether omniscience implies predestination and therefore fatalism.

See also

Open Theism

External link

What does Fatalism mean ? Search with Google !

Google

Article on Fatalism, category, different spelling or sense



Did you mean: Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology
Economy finance business money economy: Economics | Finance | Marketing | Business | Money | Real Estate | Insurance | Retirement | Microeconomics | Economics

Top Search: Kazaa | Sex | Pornography | Games | MySpace | Google | Ebay | Paris Hilton | Carmen Electra | Jessica Simpson | Eminem | MapQuest | Dogs | Jokes | Obituaries | MSN Messenger | Splogs | Ringtones | Casino | Poker | Gambling | Lyrics | Anime |

Continents and countries in the world: Japan | United Kingdom | Canada | France | Amsterdam | Monaco | Spain | Capitals Cities | Continents | World | Americas | North America | South America | Europe | Africa | Eurasia | Oceania | Antarctica | Asia | Australia


A web travel guide for your holidays, hotel and plane tickets: Travel guide and holidays
French Version, guide de voyage dans le monde: Voyage et vacances
Visit partners of Did you mean Travel: Partners
Site Map articles begining from 0 to 9 and A to Z: Site Map 0 to A | Site Map B to C | Site Map D to Z

Cours d'anglais, cours de langues pour debutant: Cours d'anglais
Annuaire france regions et tourisme: Annuaire OuiX
Sexe sur AbSexe, videos porno et annuaire sexe: Ab Sexe

Url Rewriting by Atuvu Referencement

This work is licensed under a GNU Free Documentation License.
Texts derived from WikiPedia Fatalism
©2006 Did you mean Copyright Notice

Page Fatalism cached on Sunday 07th of September 2008 03:03:42 AM