Fatalism

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Fatalism is a philosophical doctrine emphasizing the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or inevitable predetermination.

Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible. This belief is very similar to determinism.
That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end. This belief is very similar to compatibilist predestination.
That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar to defeatism.

Determinism, fatalism and predestination

While the terms are often used interchangeably, fatalism, determinism, and predestination are discrete in emphasizing different aspects of the futility of human will or the foreordination of destiny. However, all these doctrines share common ground.

Determinists generally agree that human actions affect the future, although that future is predetermined. Little to none of their dogma accentuates a "submission" to fate, whereas fatalists stress an acceptance of all events as inevitable. In other words, determinists believe the future is fixed because of action and causality, whereas fatalists and many predestinarians think the future is ineluctable despite causality.

Therefore, in determinism, if the past were different, the present and future would differ also. For fatalists, such a question is negligible, since no other present/future/past could exist except what exists now.

The idle argument

One ancient argument for fatalism, 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.
It is either fated that you will recover from your illness, or that you will not recover from your illness.

While the idle argument, applies fatalism on the effect side (i.e, the recovery from illness), it does not apply fatalism to the cause side. Strictly speaking fatalists apply it to both sides of the cause and effect. While the fact that you will recover or not is left to fate, fatalists believe it is also pre-determined whether or not you will call the doctor.

The logical argument

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.

Fatalism in Popular Culture

Kurt Vonnegut satirized fatalism in several novels including Slaughterhouse-Five.
In the anime series, Yu Yu Hakusho, when Yusuke Urameshi dies for the first time, Botan notes "My, my... so fatalistic... and only 14 years old."
The character of John Locke on ABC's television show "Lost" is portrayed as a fatalist, with many of his decision-making being done based on what he feels is his "destiny".
The Tales of Symphonia character Kratos Aurion adopts a fatalist view of the world after its division into the twin worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.
List of major Naruto characters#Neji Hyuga in the anime series Naruto, strongly believed in the idea of fate early on in the series.
The Robbers on High Street have a song called The Fatalist.
The story of Markandeya

Notes

External links

Fatalism, from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Fatalism vs. Free Will from Project Worldview

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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 01:19:19 PDT (GMT -0700)
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