Fatalism

Three strikes against fatalism.

Here are three brief sallies against the plausibility of fatalism, one by Bob Miller of Charlottesville.  They are designed to prevent any plunge into pessimism that determinism might engender among those who suppose we must have free will for life to be worth living. 

Fatalism is pretty obviously false, but we want to make sure no one gets demoralized by a naturalism that understands all our behavior as fully a function of environment and heredity. It's important (and not difficult) to avoid the false conclusion that determinism disempowers us. It doesn't in the least; rather it shows us how to make the most of our abilities.

If after reading these, you find yourself depressed about not having free will, please be in touch.

Articles in this Section

  • Fatalism, as a response to the non-existence of free will, confuses determinism for powerlessness.
  • Determinism regards humans as "one with" the unfolding matrix of the natural universe. Supernaturalism and fatalism regard humans as existing outside of this system.
  • What if you believed that in any given situation you couldn’t have done other than what you did?