Today we will consider an interesting, intriguing, controversial, mystical question: “Is there a destined destiny?” There are a lot of options between a negative and a positive answer. We will not consider all, but we will have time to cover something.
What is fate?
Until the time of philosophy has come, we will begin 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:
- The confluence of circumstances that do not depend on the will of man, the course of life events. For example: “To earn a piece of bread, I began to compose stories. Thus, fate itself made me a writer. ”
- Share, fate. For example: "Happy fate."
- The story of someone or something. For example: "Tell me, please, the fate of this family ring."
- The future, what will happen, will happen. "The fate of the Earth." Characteristic of book speech.
- The same as destined or not destined. For example: "It is not destiny to be together."
The fifth meaning is often used by various authors of romance novels and series, where the heroes, on the one hand, are destined to be together, and on the other, circumstances interfere. And here in this eternal confrontation of feelings and harsh reality, usually the most interesting thing happens, which the audience does not bother to follow from the first to the thousandth episode, but we will talk about this today.
God as the one who controls human lives
The question of fate is also interesting in that it is not independent, that is, if a person believes in predestination, then he wants it or not, but he also believes in some higher authority, which lowers the blueprints of fate to people. Moreover, it doesn’t matter exactly how to call it: “God”, “gods” or just some unknown “power”. If the phrase “destined fate” sounds, then its architect exists, and this is not a person, but someone else.
Without a constructor it is also possible, but it will turn out a bit wrong. Rather, nothing will work out at all, one will have to forget about the predestination of the life path. A person simply lives, adapts to reality, searches for the form of being that suits him, and then the profession becomes his fate. But it is foolish to speak of predestination in a mystical sense, for a person is simply trying to survive. If we remove the hypothetical “brain center” that sketches human fate, then we also eliminate the very question of predestination. Man creates himself in the process of life, and then submits to his own creation as fate.
St. Augustine and the perfect submission of the world to God
Based on the foregoing, the heavenly office will have to be abandoned, because otherwise, asking yourself if there is a destiny destined is silly. In the history of philosophy (now we need it already) there are two main points of view on the problem - fatalism and voluntarism. Many scientists adhered to fatalism, but we will consider Augustine Aurelius, for it was a question of God a little earlier. The Christian philosopher believed that free will of a person is associated with a higher authority. Good obeys God, and evil is created, because the Creator condemned some of human actions. Thus, the world seems to be one hundred percent property of a higher being; in reality, in fact, there is no freedom. From this follows humility to fate. If the reader could ask Augustine Aurelius: “Tell me, is the destiny of man destined or not?”, He would not understand the question, because for the saint there can 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 A. Schopenhauer's philosophy, World Will, can be defined as an unconscious desire for life. Both the world and man are subordinate to it. But only the second can be aware of the madness taking place, 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 is all different: reality is subordinate to the World Will, and therefore to chance, because the will is interested in only one thing - the continuation of itself in individuals, and nothing more she doesn't care. The freedom of man in such a world is deeply negative: he, as a conscious element of being, can stop the meaningless round dance of life, cope with the fundamental biological desire, and abolish the World Will. So the philosopher formulates the super task of man. But later critics of the constructions of the German thinker wittily noticed that the abolition of the World Will would only happen if all of humanity embarked on the path of austerities, one individual in this sense would not decide anything.
As you might guess, the concept of Schopenhauer is a vivid example of voluntarism. The destiny of man is to be a toy in the hands of the World Will, but he is able to reject such an inheritance and become free. In fact, at some deep level, the representations of Augustine Aurelius and Arthur Schopenhauer are interlocking, because in the world there is no first or second true freedom. Yes, the German thinker is a little better, because freedom (even negative) is available to units, while the Catholic saint does not expect such luxury. So far, the question "is the destiny of man destined" implies a disappointing answer. But let's not despair and consider the materialist 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 the novel “Brave New World” people are not giving birth, but are being raised. Moreover, in such a way that each person is already destined for a certain role in society. In the role of fate is society itself.
An eager reader will exclaim: “Is fate 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 yet come to this. But the question of whether fate exists can be answered as follows: “The future of a man or woman is encrypted in their makings.” True, the good news is that so far no one can manage the process with filigree accuracy, and therefore can not create people 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, one can evade such a choice, but not the fact that the environment will let go. For example, it is known that Hugh Laurie, the performer of the role of Dr. House, is from a family of hereditary doctors. He became an actor, but received deafening fame thanks to the role of a doctor. If this is a coincidence, then it is significant.
Fate is a choice
Yes, dynasties make life easier for a person. Having been born into a family of intellectuals, a girl or a boy knows for sure that proletarian aesthetics is something that does not appeal to them at all, or rather, they don’t even have the opportunity to plunge into another environment and compare. Maybe that is why the children of even wealthy 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 worse from pure obstinacy.
If a person does not have a ready-made script, then he seeks himself through trial and error. When he finds something with which he feels an inner kinship, he stops and begins to dig inward, that is, to improve himself. Of course, you can avoid making decisions and follow the lines of various social patterns, common values and stereotypes, but this is a dangerous way: you can easily miss your own destiny.
Life satisfaction is an indicator of the correctness of what is happening.
The quite logical question begs: “How do you know your destined destiny?” It is both simple and complex at the same time. One can always argue about the reliability of the criterion, but still life should bring satisfaction, if not joy. Otherwise, we can conclude: something goes wrong, a person is held captive by an inauthentic existence, he lives a strange life, he never found himself. Yes, everyone has periods of blues or happiness, but the level of life satisfaction should be measured by average well-being. You can discover or find your calling in work or family. Each is destined for his own destiny: someone writes, someone reads and criticizes, someone perfectly brings up children.
The reader may think that this is a strange transition, but the quote from the movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” still begs: “There is no fate except the one that we choose ourselves.”
Films about time and fate
The reader is slightly deceived in their expectations, probably upset, because we could not unequivocally answer the question, is there fate or not. But the thing is that the last answer to this metaphysical request does not exist. Any answer will upset someone anyway. Some fatalists think that there is no escape from fate, and happiness or unhappiness is inevitable. Others think: "Man is the master of his 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 perfect human freedom does not exist, 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, you won’t get anywhere 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, which stands apart - this is the melodrama "Destined by Fate." A classic love story, when the latter grows stronger in trials, but in the end everything is resolved safely. No further words, so as not to spoil the viewer's pleasure. However, our list of a different orientation:
- The trilogy "Back to the Future" (1985-1990).
- "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).
- The Patrol of Time (1994).
- The Quantum Leap (1989-1993).
- Donnie Darko (2001).
- Source Code (2011).
- The Butterfly Effect (2004).
- "Mr. Nobody" (2009).
- "Mr. fate" (1990).
- Groundhog Day (1993).
Here are not entirely collected masterpieces, but they are united by a theme. And an informed reader may say: “Wait, because in some the phenomenon of the loop of time is revealed, not fate.” Yes, that's right. But one cannot conceive without the other.
Books of Predestination
Of course, the first association that comes to mind is the work of Vladimir Matveyev “Destined by Fate,” but we don’t think that such a well-known essay needs advertising, moreover, the book is freely available and anyone can download it without hindrance. And even despite the name, excellent plot and unexpected ending, the work does not meet the line that we have chosen. There are only fantastic works on our list:
- Robert Heinlein: "The door to summer."
- Stephen King: Dead Zone.
- Stephen King: "11/22/63."
- Stephen King: A series of books about the Dark Tower.
- Herbert Wells: The Time Machine.
- Philip Dick: “Doctor Future.”
- Ray Bradreri: "And thunder struck."
- Clifford Saymak: “What could be easier than time?” or "Time is the easiest thing."
- David Mitchell: "Cloud Atlas."
- Francis Scott Fitzgerald: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
A motley list came out: here are fiction classics, a modern writer, and a classic whom the general public knows as a "singer of the jazz age." In any case, science fiction lovers and people who prefer classical prose will find something special in these books.