Today we will consider an interesting, intriguing, controversial, mystical question: "Does a predestined fate exist?" Between a negative and a positive answer, there are many options. We will not consider everything, but we will have time to cover something.
What is destiny?
Before the time for philosophy has come, let's start with an explanatory dictionary that will help answer the question of what predestination is. From the point of view of the Russian language, the definition of "fate" has as many as 5 meanings:
- A combination of circumstances that do not depend on the will of a person, the course of life events. For example: “To earn a living, I started writing stories. Thus, fate itself made a writer out of me.”
- Share, fate. For example: "Good fortune".
- The story of the existence of someone or something. For example: “Please tell me the fate of this family ring.”
- Future, what will happen will happen. "Destiny of the Earth". Typical for book speech.
- The same as destined or not destined. For example: "It's not destiny to be together."
The fifth meaning is oftenare used by various authors of romance novels and serials, where the characters, on the one hand, are destined to be together, and on the other hand, circumstances interfere. And in this eternal confrontation between feelings and harsh reality, the most interesting thing usually happens, which viewers do not get tired of following from the first to the thousandth episode, but we'll talk about this today.
God as the one who controls human lives
The question of fate is also interesting because it is not independent, that is, if a person believes in predestination, then, whether he wants it or not, he also believes in a certain higher authority that lowers the blueprints of people's fates. And it doesn't matter how exactly to call it: "God", "gods" or just some unknown "force". If the phrase “destined destiny” sounds, then its architect also exists, and this is not a person, but someone else.
Without a constructor, it is also possible, but it will turn out a little differently. Or rather, nothing will work out at all, you will have to forget about the predestination of the life path. A person simply lives, adapts to reality, looks for that form of being that suits him, and then the profession becomes his destiny. But it is foolish to talk about predestination in the mystical sense here, because a person is simply trying to survive. If we remove the hypothetical "think tank" that sketches human destiny, then we eliminate the very question of predestination. A person creates himself in the process of life, and then submits to his own creation as fate.
Augustine the Blessed and Perfectsubordination of the world to God
Based on the above, the heavenly office will have to be abandoned, otherwise it is foolish to ask yourself if there is a predestined fate. In the history of philosophy (now we already need it) there are two main points of view on the problem - fatalism and voluntarism. Many scientists adhered to fatalism, but we will consider Augustine Aurelius, because it was about God a little earlier. The Christian philosopher believed that the free will of a person is associated with a higher authority. Good obeys God, and evil is created, because the Creator condemned some of the actions of man. Thus, the world appears to be the 100% property of a higher being; in reality, there is actually no freedom. This is where resignation to fate comes in. If the reader could ask Augustine Aurelius: “Tell me, is the fate of man or not?”, he would not understand the question, because for a saint there cannot be two points of view on the problem.
Arthur Schopenhauer and the madness of being in the face of the World Will
The main character of the philosophy of A. Schopenhauer, the World Will, can be defined as an unconscious desire for life. Both the world and man are subject to it. But only the second can be aware of the ongoing madness, that is, the arbitrariness of the mother of everything and everything. If Blessed Augustine insisted that everything in the world is subordinate to God and there is no chance, then the German philosopher everything is different: reality is subordinate to the World will, which means chance, because the will is interested in only one thing - the continuation of itself in individuals, and nothing else. her notcares. The freedom of a person in such a world is deeply negative: he, as a conscious element of being, can stop the meaningless round dance of life, having coped with the fundamental biological aspiration, and abolish the World will. This is how the philosopher formulates the super-task of man. But later critics of the constructions of the German thinker wittily noted that the abolition of the World Will will occur only if the whole of humanity takes the path of asceticism at once, one individual will not solve anything in this sense.
As you might guess, Schopenhauer's concept is a vivid example of voluntarism. The fate of a person is to be a toy in the hands of the World Will, but he is able to reject such a destiny and become free. In fact, at some deep level, both the ideas of Augustine Aurelius and Arthur Schopenhauer merge, because in the world of both the first and second there is no true freedom. Yes, things are a little better with the German thinker, because freedom (even if negative) is available to a few, while the Catholic saint does not expect such luxury. So far, the question "is the fate of man predestined" implies a disappointing answer. But let's not despair and consider the materialistic interpretation of the problem, the author of which is one of the literary classics of the 20th century.
Aldous Huxley and the Question of Fate
In Brave New World, people are not born, they are raised. Moreover, in such a way that each person has already been destined for a certain role in society. He himself plays the role of fatesociety.
An impatient reader will exclaim: “Fate is destined in advance or not? I don't understand!" In the novel of the English classic, society itself created ideal inclinations for people whom it wanted to use for a specific purpose. In our time, this has not happened yet. But the question of whether fate exists can be answered as follows: "The future of a man or woman is encrypted in their inclinations." True, the good news is that so far no one can manage the process with filigree accuracy, therefore, in no way can create people of a specific life path. But there are dynasties in which offspring are trained for professions that are passed down from generation to generation - this is a kind of attempt to decide the fate of a person. True, it is possible to evade such a choice, but it is not a fact that the environment will let go. For example, it is known that Hugh Laurie, who plays Dr. House, comes from a family of hereditary doctors. He became an actor, but gained deafening fame thanks to the role of a doctor. If this is a coincidence, then it is signed.
Fate is a choice
Yes, dynasties make life easier for a person. Born into a family of intellectuals, a girl or boy knows for sure that proletarian aesthetics is something that does not attract them at all, or rather, they do not even have the opportunity to plunge into another environment and compare. Maybe that is why the children of even we althy parents sometimes do not follow the beaten paths laid by their ancestors, but try to find themselves. True, it is rare when a person changes the best for the worst out of pure stubbornness.
If a person does not havefinished script, then he searches for himself through trial and error. When he finds something with which he feels an inner affinity, he stops and begins to dig deep, that is, to improve himself. Of course, you can evade decision-making and go along with various social patterns, common values and stereotypes, but this is a dangerous path: you can easily miss your own destiny.
Satisfaction with life is an indicator of the correctness of what is happening
A completely natural question arises: “How to know your predestined destiny?” It is both simple and difficult at the same time. One can always argue about the reliability of the criterion, but still life should bring, if not joy, then satisfaction. Otherwise, we can conclude: something goes wrong, a person is in captivity of an inauthentic existence, he lives someone else's life, he never found himself. Yes, everyone has periods of blues or happiness, but the level of life satisfaction must be measured by average well-being. You can discover or find your calling in work or family. Everyone is destined for their own fate: someone writes, someone reads and criticizes, someone brings up children perfectly.
The reader may think this is a strange transition, but the quote from the movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" still begs: "There is no fate but the one we choose."
Films about time and fate
The reader is slightly deceived in his expectations, probably upset, because we could notunequivocally answer the question of whether there is fate or not. But the thing is, there is no final answer to this metaphysical question. Any answer will still upset someone. Some fatalists think that there is no escape from fate, and happiness or unhappiness is inevitable. Others think: “Man is the master of his own destiny and controls himself.”
In fact, something in between is true: there can be no absolute predestination, since in fact there is free will, which can manifest itself in different ways. But there is no perfect human freedom, because there are restrictions imposed by the world: gender, place in the social hierarchy, physical capabilities. In other words, conditions that cannot be corrected by a person. Therefore, whether you like it or not, there is no escape from the torment of choice.
So, it is worth leaving painful thoughts and turning to art as a means that brings at least temporary relief. In other words, consider a list of films in which the idea of fate is central. And yes, there is, of course, a wonderful, very fresh film that stands apart - this is the melodrama "Destined by Fate". A classic love story, when the latter grows stronger in trials, and in the end everything is resolved safely. Not a word further, so as not to spoil the viewer's pleasure. However, our list has a different focus:
- Back to the Future Trilogy (1985-1990).
- "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).
- "Time Patrol" (1994).
- "Quantum Leap" (1989-1993).
- "DonnieDarko" (2001).
- "Source Code" (2011).
- "The Butterfly Effect" (2004).
- "Mr Nobody" (2009).
- "Mr Destiny" (1990).
- Groundhog Day (1993).
Masterpieces are not collected here, but they are united by a theme. And the knowledgeable reader might also say, “Wait, because some reveal the phenomenon of a time loop, not fate.” Yes, that's right. But one cannot be conceived without the other.
Books about predestination
Of course, the first association that comes to mind is the work of Vladimir Matveev "Destined by Fate", but we do not think that such a well-known work needs advertising, moreover, the book is freely available, and anyone can its free to download. And even despite the title, excellent plot and unexpected ending, the work does not correspond to the line that we have chosen. Our list includes only fantastic writings:
- Robert Heinlein: "The Door to Summer".
- Stephen King: The Dead Zone.
- Stephen King: "11 / 22 / 63".
- Stephen King: The Dark Tower series.
- HG Wells: Time Machine.
- Philip Dick: Doctor Future.
- Ray Bradrery: "Thunder came."
- Clifford Simak: "What could be simpler than time?" or "Time is the simplest thing."
- David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas.
- Francis Scott Fitzgerald: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Motley came out the list: here are the classics of science fiction, and the modern writer, and the classic,known to the general public as the "singer of the Jazz Age". In any case, both sci-fi lovers and people who prefer classical prose will find something special in these books.
