FATALISM

I believe that events are fixed in advance so that humans are powerless to change them. I say it’s naïve to think that—in the big scheme of things — we control our own destinies. Whether you call it “God’s plan” or “the will of God” — or call it determinism and involve factors beyond human control—I’m resigned to believing that my life’s course is fixed as part of the larger scheme. Note: deterministic predictability depends on natural / physical laws, genetic and epigenetic endowment, the (predictable) response to environmental stimuli, etc.)

FREE WILL

I believe that humans have the power to freely choose between alternatives, exercise rational control over their actions, and generally shape their destinies.  I believe those who preach “whatever will be, will be” and claim “the future’s not ours to see” are fools.  I see resigned helplessness, and waiting for God to solve problems people could solve themselves, as dangerous.   (Note: Appreciation of quantum mechanics and chaos theory has led many scientists away from the notion that complex events always unfold in rigidly determined, predictable ways.)