Free will versus fate in philosophy

Free Will vs. Fate

For millennia people have believed that we cannot chose our own future and that things that happen as time passes are entirely up to our fate. However, there were also people that considered fate to be a myth, with the explanation that the only ones that can decide the future of humanity are the people themselves.

The existence of fate is a divisive matter because it has both people that support it, and people that oppose it. Most supporters consider that fate indeed does exist and that it is crucial when concerning events happening every day. Fate usually refers to a state of affairs in which things happen randomly and without any human intervention.

According to Henning Jensen, an accident happening because of someone's fault is to be blamed on that certain someone that acted out of his or her free will. In contrast, an accident happening without anyone's intervention cannot be blamed on someone and fate is the only factor that intruded. (Jensen, Henning pp. 326)

Luck is one of the most notable features that lead people into believing that fate does exist. There are some that believe that luck is not happening because of fate, but because of coincidence.

Most people, especially religious ones, are keen to believe that fate does exist, and that it depends on the will of God. Those that don't believe in fate consider that God's will is to let people act according to their principles and desires, their free will. Whether fate depends on divinity or not, accidents will always happen regardless of what some might think.

Those that believe that everything happens because of fate also believe that it can sometimes be interfered with. As fate is frequently associated with divinity, people believe that if they are good believers, God in his turn will better their fate as a reward for their act. This makes people superstitious, but, in the same time, it makes them combine fate with free will as they act out of their own free will with the intention to alter fate.

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" describes how superstitious people can contribute to altering fate. Superstitious people are disadvantaged because of their beliefs and because of their absurd theories. Also, the fact that they are superstitious prevents them from acting logically and morally.

Jackson's characters willingly chose to sacrifice a member of their community in order for their crops to grow. All of the village's members present at the reunion agree that fate is the only one that decides who is going to die. Tessie also agrees and she accepts the ritual as being vital for the well-being of the village.