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Lisa asked:
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Say that one believes in fate and destiny, then how can that be justified?
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What is a good justification for saying that there is fate in our lives?
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Some persons, or persons at certain times of their lives, have a strong feeling that the life they are
living is the life they were fated to live, or that they have a destiny which they cannot turn away from.
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The philosophical arguments for fatalism are not very good. If you believe God exists then since God
knew everything that was to happen in the history of the universe from the moment He brought the
world into existence — or, on the theologically more refined view, since God sees the entire history of
the universe from a viewpoint outside of time — God knows everything that is in store for you. He
knows every choice you will make, and the outcomes of those choices. But is there such an
all-knowing God?
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Some will argue that even if an all-knowing God doesn't exist, the truth isthe truth, whether it be a
truth about the past, or the present, or the future. The statement, 'I will become President' is true or
false, and if it istrue, then there is nothing you can do to avoid that destiny. But we are not compelled
to take that view. You can say that a future world where you become President and a future world
where you don't become President exhaust all the possible future worlds in which you exist. However,
as Aristotle argued using the example of 'tomorrow's sea battle', that need not be taken to imply that
one of these worlds is actual now.
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The best argument for belief in destiny is a practical one. Some people have that belief, and some
don't. Those that do are strengthened in their resolve to bring their dreams to fruition, and sometimes
— not always — they succeed. If you believe you have a destiny, if your life circumstances are such
as to give you a sense of conviction about where you are heading, then you are lucky. (Of course, I
mean a destiny to make something of your life, and not the 'destiny' to become a down-and-out!)
Don't ask where that belief comes from, or how it can be philosophically justified. Just act on the
assumption that your belief is true, and let things happen as they will.
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Geoffrey Klempner
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