For us as individuals to have free will it suggests that as human beings, we have the ability to express and elect our own personal choices. Whereas the notion of fate entices the idea that our lives are simply determined by physical or divine forces. When focussing on the treatment of free will and fate in relation to Greek tragedies, one can recognise that this theme was often established as the driving forces of conflict. In ancient Greece, the lives...
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It has been believed that the choices we make only elude fate and fate is only a manipulator that helps choose your path. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth (1609), the main character falls from being a nobleman by the drive of his free will to act upon the fateful words of the witches’; Macbeth in no cause is under a spell, it was his own decisions which unknowingly leads him to his downfall. Macbeth could have let fate happen on...
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Oedipus the King, assembled by Sophocles, indicates an underlying association between fate and free will. In today’s society, we let our lives be led by a distinct force that we believe in. Yet, a widespread controversy that still rages today is whether we, as a species, have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, governs our destiny. Whether it be an elevated power deciding your life for you or the alternatives that people make. Fate compromises...
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At the heart of Paradise Lost lies Milton’s attempt to wrestle between two key ideals of the poem: the all-powerful Eternal Father and the notion of Free Will. In setting out to ‘justify the ways of God to men’ (I. 26) whilst maintaining his own anti-deterministic beliefs, Milton must ensure neither is compromised throughout his epic poem. Whilst the form of anti-Calvinism Milton chooses to extol appears to exonerate God from responsibility for the fall, there are still issues surrounding...
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In the problem of free will, the higher order theory exists as an attempt to defend compatibilism. Even if all of our desires are derived causally from the laws of nature, some philosophers argue that we still have free will if we have the ability to form desires and the agency to act on these desires. Wanting to do a particular thing is a first order desire. Wanting to want or not want this thing is a second order desire...
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Free will, responsibility, and choice, are noted to be some of the few important concepts that Confucianism seem to lack as Herbett Fingarette claims. Although, Kyung-sig Hwang argues that these same concepts are actually present in Confucianism through soft determinism or compatibilism. It may not necessarily be the exact same general understanding that we have of free will as a whole because it is interpreted differently. Therefore, Hwang argues that free will is present in Confucianism and that there is...
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In the play “Oedipus Rex”, Sophocles shows a hidden connection between man’s free will and fate which the greek accepted to guide the universe amicable reason. A man was allowed to pick and eventually considered liable for his own behavior. Both the idea of fate and free will had an integral impact on Oedipus’ fall. In spite of the fact that he was a casualty of fate, he was not constrained by it. Oedipus was fated from birth to marry...
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You often hear people saying that it was just meant to be by destiny, but how much of life does destiny actually play a part of? Destiny actually plays a massive role in people’s lives in the fact that it sets up your starting environment, but people shouldn’t say it’s playing a part in the latter parts of life all too much. Destiny stops playing the big role in your life after you start adulthood, you get to make your...
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Thomas Hardy is among the most well-known proponents of naturalism – the pessimistic belief that human behavior, choices, and ultimately destinies are highly influenced, if not predetermined, by their environment. Naturalism suggests that human customs and societal structure directly emulate those of the natural world, implying that humanity has no control over, and therefore, needs not take responsibility for, its actions. However, Hardy is hardly married to this principle. Naturalism is not the only philosophical basis of his works. In...
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Destiny, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice, it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” (William Jennings Bryan). Macbeth is a victim of his own desire. The witches played with Macbeth’s mind. They can predict, and they can suggest, but they do not necessarily control or tell Macbeth what to do. Free will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate....
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The history of philosophy has been dominated by competing arguments around the ideas of Free Will and Determinism. Simply stated, the issue hangs on whether human beings should be thought of as fundamentally free to choose their actions and mould their lives – or whether they should be deemed as being at heart determined by forces beyond their control, be they fate, biology, politics or class. It seems obvious for most of us that we have free will. If we...
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Agent Smith is fictional character and the main antagonist from the sequel “the Matrix”. Smith is contrast energy form of Neo. Smith’s main role is to police defective programs in order to maintain the stability of the system. In the Matrix, Smith states to Morpheus during his interrogation that he despises the Matrix itself, which he labels a “zoo” and plans to escape from it knowing that he is not free anymore, making himself feel that he is more like...
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Throughout history, free will and determinism have been a longstanding debate. The question arises because, as in many other issues in philosophy, two of our basic beliefs about ourselves and the world seem to conflict. While some believe that we do choose our own paths and have free will to choose, others believe our lives are chosen for us based on past events, or determinism. In this essay, I intend to argue that humans are free and have complete control...
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Is there free will in the human life? In the short stories Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and “The Guest” by Albert Camus portrays how the exercise of free will leads to downfall. By the ideas of a higher superior, Oedipus, Macbeth, and the Arab in The Guest are able to independently decide their course of life which will eventually lead to their ruins. Oedipus exercises free will within the restriction of greater limiting...
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Free will is the capability of acting out of one’s own judgment. However, the major problem with this is the social, natural, or religious restrictions that inevitably controls humanity. Where freedom is a widespread desire, it has also been proven to portray the worst impulses of those with power. This is confirmed yet again in Anthony Burgess’s dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange. Set in an oppressive state, Alex – a teenager who has a history in crimes – has his...
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In the entirety of both Medea and Oedipus the existence of Gods are shown as dominant throughout. In Modern time, Theorists and dramatists are turning the pages every day to find answers to the questions at hand, are the characters of these plays in control of their own destiny? Or is their fate already inevitable? Ancient Greek people believed that Gods set the destinies for some people as its what they were born to do and there is a level...
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There are certain things in life is more valuable to us than the freedom. Free will is the problem of modality and we want this one, we cannot live without it. On one hand we think that we have free will and on other hand we think that every event has a cause. The problems of free will is the challenge of determinism of our ideas about personal freedom. Human beings have choice to made own decision and they are...
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The concept of free will varies depending on whom you ask. If you were to turn to religion, it would say your free will lies solely in moral decision making; what you choose to have for breakfast is not free will and is already determined. If you were to ask a compatibilist, they would say we do in fact have free will with only some deterministic aspects. If you were to ask a libertarian, they would say you have absolute...
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The definition of fate: is the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. The definition of free will is: the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion. Do we live in a reality where our lives or controlled by fate or free will? Do we have the free will to live our fate, or our we fated to have free will? In...
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The themes of the book include statesmanship and warcraft, goodwill and hatred, free will, virtue, and human nature. Regarding statesmanship and warcraft, Machiavelli relies on the fact that good laws act in accordance with a good military. A famous quote from The Prince where Machiavelli states “the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound laws”. He portrays his understanding of war as a necessity in the development of states. A big chunk of the book is dedicated...
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Free or Determined “We learn the influence of our will from experience alone. And experience only teaches us, how one event constantly follows another; without instructing us in the secret connexion, which binds them together, and renders them inseparable.” (David Hume, 1737) When we broach the subject of whether we are free or determined, we must understand that there are some theories that accept freedom or determinism (regarding them as mutually exclusive), and some that attempt to integrate the two...
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Ways of Thinking What is a philosophy and why is it important? Philosophy is a way that can get people to think and ask questions about things. Many philosophers have come up with their own beliefs and ideas. What makes philosophy interesting and great is that anyone can participate in it and that everyday people will use it without even realizing it. Philosophy can be an interesting subject because it is around people asking questions and forming their own ideas...
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The play Oedipus by Sophocles is a Greek disaster, which investigates the difference of destiny. The play spins around Oedipus, a man who in the end winds up lowered by his destruction. Emotional, verbal, and situational incongruity can be noted in Oedipus Rex. Dramatic inconsistency is a major piece of the play as the characterizing component and trademark which enables the group of spectators to comprehend the fundamental character and makes a feeling of dread since Oedipus’ catastrophe could turn...
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In Homer’s The Odyssey, there were multiple power struggles between various gods, including Athena and Poseidon in regards to Odysseus, the protagonist hero. Throughout the story Odysseus is confronted with multiple events that change how long it takes for him to return home to his family. Does Odysseus have free will and is capable of determining his own fate or are the gods controlling that for him? This essay will identifying three incidents in which Odysseus determines the course of...
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In this essay, I will be discussing and evaluating the treatment and inclusion of the idea of free will within the play Oedipus The King By Sophocles as well as Medea By Euripides. These are both two very old plays which include a plot which is intertwined with the constant influence of Fate and therefore, can be used in order to debate the influence of destiny and whether or not the characters have “Free Will”. This is an important point...
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In Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, the play shows an intertwined interaction of man free will coexisting with fate which at the time Greeks at the time believed guided everything and everyone else in a balanced purpose. Women and men were free to make and decided their own decisions and at the end was ultimately held accountable for their own actions. The concepts of both fate and free will played an important part in Oedipus’ destruction. Even though he was...
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