Edward John
1 min readDec 23, 2021

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No, just because there is no free will, that doesn't mean there's no sense or meaning. This is conflating a lack of free will with fatalism.

The problem with a fatalistic view is that it could cause someone to believe there’s no point in making any effort to do anything because whatever is meant to happen will happen anyway.

But the reality is, actions and decisions do matter.

For example, let’s imagine you want to learn Chinese. From a fatalistic viewpoint, if you’re destined to speak Chinese it will happen anyway. But the truth is, to learn a language you need to actually put in the time and effort to learn it. You need to attend language classes or do an online course, for example.

But that scenario still doesn’t require a belief in free will. You can make decisions and take actions whilst still knowing that ultimately your choices originate from beyond your consciousness.

But also, the very act of adopting a fatalistic approach to life is itself a choice. Sitting around doing nothing, waiting for the world to come to you, is itself an action. It’s an action based on the decision to look at things fatalistically, and that, in turn, is a result of factors beyond your conscious awareness.

"But our choice is determined not only by our past, but also by the future, as we see it, i.e. our goals."

That is a mental image of the future, not the future itself.

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Edward John
Edward John

Written by Edward John

Sometimes my inside is full of sunshine 🌞 edwardjohnwritesATgmailDOTcom

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