Do you believe in fate or free will?

Question

Well me, I'm quite torn. I believe in free will, but there times where things have happened to me that are beyond coincidence.

Oh and by the why if you don't understand why you can only choose one is because If you believe in fate that means that everything is set and pre-determined (possibly by a higher omniscient being) and you follow this plan unconsciously.... and free will is the ability do things on YOUR OWN accord by your choices and actions and you make your life your own and there isn't a plan set for you, basically.

Answer 1

Free will -- absolutely!

Answer 2

I believe in deterministic causality.  It's not god's plan, just a continuing process of cause and effect.  In a causal universe, which I think all reasonable people can agree we exist within, there is no room for free will.  Cause and effect doesn't pause to ask us what we think.  Since our minds are too feeble to fully understand causality in all it's complexity, we use the concept of free will to fill in the gaps and make ourselves feel powerful.  I think that what we may percieve as choice and decision making is really just our awareness of our brain processing information. But just because we are aware of it doesn't we are control of it.  We falsely assume we are in control of it.  If free will were the truly behind human behavior, I think we would behavior is vastly different and more productive ways.

Answer 3

I believe in free will.

If there was such a thing as fate then our thoughts wouldn't be our own.

Answer 4

Without reason or logic I believe in Free Will.

But I say "without reason or logic" because I have experienced so many situations that seem to perfect. To many patterns. in my own personal life. That is why I am researching this currently. I feel as if there is a balance between fate and free will, and sometimes a force creates errors in the balance.

So by my own will I chose to believe I am free. But I know there is more to life then I can CURRENTLY understand.

Also, If I concluded that life is predestined all motivation for ANYTHING leaves, why do anything when whatever happens in life is going to happen with or without you.

Answer 5

free will. no doubt about it

i will recomend a very "good" book although not good in the traditional sense. its called "the third age of the world" one chapter does address this issue in part. you may find it interesting (or confusing). basically it has to do with time flowing backward and forward not just forward. anyway alan carter puts it much more intelegently than i can so here

http://www.datamodel.co.uk/Reciprocality...  

the whole book is good but most does not seem to pertain to what you are talking about. the whole thing is hard to get your head arround.

Answer 6

Both exist.

Fate: we have been programed by our DNA.

Freewill: I have programmed my DNA.

It's an infinite chain. I believe that we are One and that as this Cosmic Being, we are all possibilities. We control everything because we are everything. Only when we become finite beings (humans) do we experience fate.

Answer 7

i believe that everything is planned out... that a higher power knows the future for all of us

Answer 8

I think if someone went through all this trouble to create life, it would certainly ruin the fun if they already knew the ending....although, reaching in now & then to move things in a particular direction? I believe that. Isn't that what we do with OUR kids???

Answer 9

Free will

Answer 10

AWWW... Have you been reading Oedipus again!?