Are Destiny and Fate Inescapable?

2PPS20

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467054W

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2004
Are Destiny and Fate Inescapable? 467054W

Destiny and Fate are enigmatic concepts that have prevailed in the human consciousness throughout
the ages. These notions have been interpretated diversely and are often used interchangeably, however
although they both refer to predetermined courses of events that shape our future, they differ in their
implications. When the term destiny is used, it implies a grand purpose or a guiding trajectory in one's
life, as in the case of 'the young man who had a great destiny ahead of him’. On the other hand, fate
bears a rather pessimistic connotation, suggesting an inevitable outcome, as in 'His fate was sealed
from the moment he was born’ (Langeek, 2020). Throughout time, individuals like Alexander the Great
have risen to achieve remarkable feats, seemingly guided by destiny, while millions of other names
lost to time, have been born into lives marked by inexplicable suffering, seemingly trapped by an
unalterable fate. These contrasting experiences raise the profound philosophical issue of ‘Are Destiny
and Fate inescapable?’ This question is deeply entwined with metaphysics, a branch of philosophy
that delves into the nature of reality and the essential laws that underlie the universe (Metaphysics
2022). It occurs as a philosophical issue as it forces us to engage with the very essence of human
existence and the fundamental principles that govern our lives. There are several unique positions in
which this issue can be explored providing their own distinct conclusions and beliefs, this includes the
religious philosophy of karma yoga, fatalism, and libertarianism.

KARMA YOGA

The Bhagavad Gita, a key doctrine in Hinduism, addresses this philosophical issue on the
inescapability of destiny and fate through the religious philosophy of Karma Yoga. The ultimate goal
of Karma Yoga is to attain moksha 1, through the path of selfless service without attachment to the
outcomes of action (Karma Yoga 2023). Key spiritual concepts in this philosophy include dharma and
karma, terms which closely parallel to the western notions of destiny and fate.

The doctrine of the Gita centres around the dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Vishnu, one of the
three major deities of Hinduism. Vishnu imparts wisdom to Arjuna through the divine incarnation of
Lord Krishna during the Mahabharata War. In this conflict, Krishna has relatives on both sides of the
battle, whereas Arjuna has to specifically fight against his own family and friends. Arjuna who is
deeply anguished in this daunting aspect of incurring misery on his loved ones, confides with Krishna
‘What is the point of living on with the wealth and pleasure I have attained from the victory of this
war if it is stained with the blood of my kinsmen. Would that not be sinful?’ (Bhagavad Gita, 2:37).
Krishna responds to Arjuna by stating ‘Your right is to uphold your dharma only, but never to its
fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction’ (Bhagavad
Gita, 2:47). In this verse, Krishna emphasises that Arjuna’s primary concern should be fulfilling his

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duty as a Kshatriya2 to uphold dharma. The concept of dharma in the broadest sense refers to the
cosmic law of the universe that maintains the balance of the world. When applied to an individual it
becomes closely synonymous to destiny — the divine purpose achieved by following one’s moral and
social duties to ultimately maintain the overall dharma of the world (Yogapedia, 2020).

Arjuna remains unconvinced, so Krishna goes on to further explain ‘Bodies are only temporary
vessels, souls are eternal. By fulfilling your dharma, you shall not incur sin’ (Bhagavad Gita, 2:17-
31). In these verses, Krishna enlightens Arjuna with the teachings of Karma Yoga. He conveys to
Arjuna that he must abandon worry and selfish attachment to the outcomes of his actions and perform
his duty as a warrior. According to the Gita, incurring sin by not following one’s dharma, results in
bad karma, or in other words it pre-determines an unfavourable fate for your next life.

A common criticism of this position is that the Gita's teachings can be interpreted as justifying
violence in the name of duty (Raghuramaraju, 2020). This raises ethical questions about whether
adhering to one's duty, as advocated in Karma Yoga, should always take precedence over moral
considerations. Furthermore, another criticism is that the entire concept of karma, dharma, and
reincarnation lacks empirical evidence. The notion that our actions in this life directly determine our
circumstances in the next life cannot be scientifically proven, making it a matter of faith rather than a
rational philosophical argument.

However, in regard to the philosophical issue, Karma Yoga conveys that individuals do possess a
sense of personal agency in shaping their destiny and fate. The position asserts that by following one’s
dharma through selfless service, without attachment to the outcomes of their actions will result in
inducing positive karma and ultimately lead to moksha, liberation from destiny and fate.

FATALISM

Fatalism is the position based on the fundamental idea that all events and outcomes in life are pre-
determined and inevitable, regardless of an individual’s choices or actions (Cuncic 2022). Logical
fatalism holds the view that there is a body of true propositions about what is going to happen, and
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these are true regardless of when they are made. A classic argument for this approach is Aristotle’s
Sea Battle, which is presented simplified here in a form of disjunctive syllogism:

P1 For any event E, either E will occur at some E ∨¬ E( E → O ) ∧ (¬ E →¬ O )

future time T or E will not occur at T
∴ O∨¬ O
P2 If it is always true that E will occur at T, then no
one can prevent E from occurring at T; if it is
always true that E will not occur at T, then no
one can bring about E at T
C Therefore, either no one, at any time, can
prevent E from occurring, or no one, at any time,
can bring about E.

The first premise establishes a disjunctive statement through relying on the principle of bivalence, a
law of Classical Logic which suggests every statement has at least one truth value, true or false (Hugh,
Fatalism 2023). Since the premises are based upon bivalence, a principle which is widely accepted in
classical logic, it is fair to say that the premises are true. Furthermore, as the conclusion logically
follows the premises through following the pattern of a disjunctive syllogism, the argument can be
considered both valid and sound. However, this argument can be criticized through the problem of
future contingency which suggests that there are scenarios in which the future cannot be neatly
divided into a binary choice between "true" or "false," and this may limit the argument's applicability
in those cases. It highlights the potential limitations of the argument when dealing with real-world
situations where events are subject to various unpredictable factors and not strictly determined in
advance.

Overall, in response to the philosophical issue, critics argue that fatalism is regarded as a more
extreme position in comparison to determinism, which is a position that asserts that everything is
determined by prior causes and natural laws (Carl, 2023). Determinism allows for some degree of
human agency and change, implying the possibility that the future is not inescapable. Other critiques,
include fatalism’s ethical implications where individuals become passive and resigned to their fate.
The position of fatalism is strongly founded in its belief that all events are pre-determined, leaving
individuals with no agency over the events that occur, thereby firmly aligning with the belief that
destiny and fate are inescapable.

LIBERTARIANISM
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The philosophical position of libertarianism in the context of free will, presents a contrasting
perspective to the inescapability of destiny and fate as it directly rejects the belief of fatalism
(Brittanica, 2023). Libertarian philosopher Roderick Chisholm asserts that an agent who performs an
act is completely free and uncaused, a causa sui, distinguishing agent-causation from event-causation
(Will 2020). The concept of free will has two approaches, that is compatibilism and incompatibilism.
Compatibilism holds the thesis that free will is compatible with determinism, while incompatibilism
holds the opposite view. Libertarianism aligns with incompatibilism as it asserts that our actions are
not causally determined, rejecting the idea that both freedom and determinism can coexist. According
to libertarians, only one of these concepts can prevail, and they argue that our free will is the one that
must prevail (Müller, 2022).

Supporting the libertarian position, is the argument of introspection which is presented here in modus
ponens form:

P1 If we can directly observe our sense of feeling P →Q P∴ Q

free when making choices, then we possess
libertarian free will.
P2 We can directly observe our sense of feeling free
when making choices through introspection.
C Therefore, we possess libertarian free will.

This argument concludes that we therefore feel that our actions are freely performed, and the fact that
we feel free, according to most libertarians, provides the major evidence to the conclusion that we are
actually free (Arıkan, 2016). Although this argument is valid as it follows a modus ponens form, its
soundness is debatable due to the uncertainty of the premises. Gregg Caruso, an advocate for hard
determinism, argues that ‘Once we see that consciousness is neither transparent nor infallible, the
argument from introspection loses all of its force’ (Caruso 2012). This questions the veridically of our
experiences; the way we feel does not always correctly represent how things actually are, inferring the
illusory nature of the perceptions on one’s sense of free will.

A theory in favour of the libertarianism position is Robert Kane’s Self-Forming Actions (SFA). Kane
posits that ‘Even if many of our actions are determined by our existing character, these actions can be
free, if we at times in the past freely created our own character (and if we remain free to change it)
with what he calls "self-forming actions" (SFAs)’ (Kane 1985). A prominent critique proposed against
SFA is the luck objection which asserts that if our actions aren’t causally determined, then our actions
or crucial facts about our actions become matters of luck or chance in a way that undermines our free
will (Palmer 2015). The 'luck objection' also highlights scenarios where certain events such as natural
Are Destiny and Fate Inescapable? 467054W

disasters, are entirely beyond an individual's control, making it impossible for them to predict or
prevent such occurrences.

In regard to the philosophical issue, libertarianism, due to its fundamental belief that events are not
casually determined, denies the existence of destiny and fate as a whole. Furthermore, it challenges
the inescapable aspect, due to its belief in free will; nothing is inescapable because individuals always
possess genuine choices, independent of any prior event or state, that will determine their future as
they go.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

I believe that the Karma Yoga is the most fulfilling approach to the philosophical issue ‘Are Destiny
and Fate inescapable?’ Karma Yoga embodies the belief that destiny and fate are escapable through
moksha, containing aspects of both the libertarian and fatalist positions. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is
emphasised that individuals possess the ability to exercise free will through shaping their karma by
performing selfless actions and adhering to their dharma, aligning with the libertarian perspective.
However, it also recognizes the consequences of one's actions, aligning with the fatalist notion that
every action has a predetermined outcome in the grand scheme of the universe. Although, this position
faces the main critique of lacking empirical evidence for the existence of karma, dharma and moksha,
it is important to note that the concepts of destiny and fate themselves also lack empirical evidence,
yet it is still a prominent area of discussion in philosophy. Libertarianism suffers from the inability to
account for situations where events are genuinely beyond an individual’s control. Fatalism, on the
other hand is a pessimistic approach that fosters an attitude of resignation and hopelessness causing
individuals to not care about the actions they take. Karma Yoga, however, offers a balanced and
holistic approach to the philosophical issue, granting individuals a sense of agency, accepting the
presence of fate, and encouraging selfless service through devotion to a higher cause.

References:

Arıkan P. (2016) Experience and free will, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi, Nevşehir.

Arlin C. (2022) What is Fatalism, Verywell Mind.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 - Karma Yoga (2023), Ved Vyas Foundation.

Are Destiny and Fate Inescapable? 467054W

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2023) Free will, Encyclopedia Britannica.

Burgin T. (2021) Karma yoga: The path of Selfless Action, Yoga Basics, Asheville.

‘Fate’ vs. ‘Destiny’ in English (2020) Langeek.

Hinduism Today (2021) Karma and reincarnation, Himalayan Academy Publications.

Hoefer C (2003) Causal Determinism, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford.

Kane, R 1985, Free will and values, State University Of New York Press, Albany.

Studocu (2022) Metaphysics exploring the nature of reality and existence, Colombia University, New
York.

Müller J. (1991) Compatibilist Libertarianism: Advantages and Challenges (Conference Report), Vol.
36 (Issue 3-4), pp. 323-334, KRITERION – Journal of Philosophy.

Palmer D (2015) Free will, libertarianism, and luck, Oxford University Press Blog, Oxford.

Raghuramaraju, A. (2020) Gita as endorsement of non-violence, Bhagavad Gita, Telegraph India.

Rice H (2023) Fatalism, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford.

Doyle B (2023) Robert Hilary Kane’s Libertarianism, Information Philosopher.

Swartz, N. (2023) Internet encyclopedia of philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Simon

Fraser University, Burnaby.

What is dharma? (2020) Yogapedia Inc.

Will F (2020) Roderick Chisholm, Information Philosopher.