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= Destiny =
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Introduction
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Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of
events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in
general or of an individual.
Fate
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Although often used interchangeably, the words 'fate' and 'destiny'
have distinct connotations. The earliest known mention of the term or
its meaning is found on a document written in cuneiform script that
reports on the mythical Tablet of Destinies. It probably refers to a
political treaty between three groups of Sumerian gods (cf. the Epic
Athra Hasis), whereby only the leader has the power to restore the
things he once determined to their original state.
Todays traditional usage defines fate similar: as a power or agency
that predetermines (rules) the attributes of a thing or set of events
positively or negatively affecting someone or a group. Other
possibilities are that of an idiom, to tell someone's fortune, or
simply the result of chance and events. In Hellenistic civilization,
the chaotic and unforeseeable turns of chance gave increasing
prominence to a previously less notable goddess, Tyche (literally
"Luck"), who embodied the good fortune of a city and all whose lives
depended on its security and prosperity, two good qualities of life
that appeared to be out of human reach. The Roman image of Fortuna,
with the wheel she blindly turned, was retained by Christian writers
including Boethius, revived strongly in the Renaissance, and survives
in some forms today."The Wheel of Fortune" remains an emblem of the
chance element in fate(destiny).
Ancient Greek philosophy
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Philosophy on the concepts of destiny and fate has existed since the
Hellenistic period with groups such as the Stoics and the Epicureans.
The Stoics believed that human decisions and actions ultimately went
according to a divine plan devised by a god. They claimed that
although humans theoretically have free will, their souls and the
circumstances under which they live are all part of the universal
network of fate.
The Epicureans challenged the Stoic beliefs by denying the existence
of this divine fate. They believed that a human's actions were
voluntary so long as they were rational.
Modern philosophy
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In common usage, 'destiny' and 'fate' are synonymous, but with regard
to 19th-century philosophy, the words gained inherently different
meanings.
For Arthur Schopenhauer, destiny was just a manifestation of the Will
to Live, which can be at the same time living fate and choice of
overrunning fate, by means of the Art, of the Morality and of the
Ascesis.
For Friedrich Nietzsche, destiny keeps the form of 'Amor fati' (Love
of Fate) through the important element of Nietzsche's philosophy, the
"will to power" (der 'Wille zur Macht'), the basis of human behavior,
influenced by the Will to Live of Schopenhauer. But this concept may
have even other senses, although he, in various places, saw the will
to power as a strong element for adaptation or survival in a better
way. Nietzsche eventually transformed the idea of matter as centers of
force into matter as centers of will to power as humanity's destiny to
face with 'amor fati'. The expression 'Amor fati' is used repeatedly
by Nietzsche as acceptation-choice of the 'fate', but in such way it
becomes even another thing, precisely a "choice" destiny.
Determinism is a philosophical concept often confused with fate. It
can be defined as the notion that all intents/actions are 'causally'
determined by the culminations of an agent's existing circumstances;
simply put, everything that happens is determined by things that have
already happened. Determinism differs from fate in that it is never
conceived as being a spiritual, religious, nor astrological notion;
fate is typically thought of as being "given" or "decreed" while
determinism is "caused". Influential philosophers like Robert Kane,
Thomas Nagel, Roderick Chisholm, and A. J. Ayer have written about
this notion.
Psychology
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Among the representatives of depth psychology school, the greatest
contribution to the study of the notion such as "fate" was made by
Carl Gustav Jung, Sigmund Freud and Leopold Szondi.
Religion
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The concept of destiny, fate or causation is prominent in most
religionsbut takes different forms:
*The ancient Sumerians spoke of divine predetermination of the
individual's destiny
*In Babylonian religion, the god Nabu, as the god of writing,
inscribed the fates assigned to humans by the gods of the
Assyro-Babylonian pantheon which included the Anunnaki who would
decree the fates of humanity
*Followers of Ancient Greek religion regarded not only the Moirai but
also the gods, particularly Zeus, as responsible for deciding and
carrying out destiny, respectively.
*Some Christians believe that humans all have free will, while others
believe in predestination.
*In Islam, fate or 'qadar' is the decree of God.
*Within Buddhism, all phenomena (mind or otherwise) are taught as
dependently arisen from previous phenomena according to universal lawa
concept known as 'paṭiccasamuppāda.' This core teaching is shared
across all schools of thought, and directly informs other core
concepts such as impermanence and non-self (also common to all schools
of Buddhism).
Politics
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Metaphorical expressions of a predetermined destiny are commonly used
by politicians to describe events not understood. Otto Von Bismarck
said that the best a politician can do is to 'listen for God's
footsteps and hang on to His coat tails'.
General José de San Martín, Libertador of Argentina, Chile and Peru,
famously said "You will be what you must be, or you will be nothing".
In 'War and Peace', Leo Tolstoy wrote of the 'unconscious swarm-life
of mankind', while Shakespeare spoke of a 'tide in the affairs of men'
in his play 'Julius Caesar'.
Literature
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In ancient Greece, many legends and tales teach the futility of trying
to outmaneuver an inexorable fate that has been correctly predicted.
This portrayal of fate is present in works such as 'Oedipus Rex' (427
BCE), the 'Iliad,' the 'Odyssey' (800 BCE), and 'Theogony.' Many
ancient Chinese works have also portrayed the concept of fate, most
notably the 'Liezi,' 'Mengzi,' and the 'Zhuangzi.' Similarly, and in
Italy, the Spanish Duque de Rivas' play that Verdi transformed into
'La Forza del Destino' ("The Force of Destiny") includes notions of
fate.
In England, fate has played a notable literary role in Shakespeare's
'Macbeth' (1606), Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' (1891),
Samuel Beckett's 'Endgame' (1957), and W.W Jacobs' popular short story
"The Monkey's Paw" (1902). In America, Thornton Wilder's book 'The
Bridge of San Luis Rey' (1927) portrays the conception of fate.
In Germany, fate is a recurring theme in the literature of Hermann
Hesse (1877-1962), including 'Siddharta' (1922) and his magnum opus,
'Das Glasperlenspiel,' also published as 'The Glass Bead Game' (1943).
And by Hollywood through such characters as Neo in 'The Matrix'. The
common theme of these works involves a protagonist who cannot escape
their destiny, however hard they try. In Neil Gaiman's graphic novel
series 'The Sandman', destiny is one of the Endless, depicted as a
blind man carrying a book that contains all the past and all the
future: "Destiny is the oldest of the Endless; in the Beginning was
the Word, and it was traced by hand on the first page of his book,
before ever it was spoken aloud."
Destiny is a frequent concept in Jorge Luis Borges' short stories and
poems. In 'The Garden of Forking Paths,' destiny is represented by a
labyrinth of choices, where every possibility exists simultaneously.
The protagonist later realizes his actions are predetermined as the
story unfolds with an inevitable conclusion. In 'The Lottery in
Babylon,' as a metaphor for fate and chance, a secret lottery
determines every aspect of life, making personal choice irrelevant. In
'[
https://ciudadseva.com/texto/ajedrez-3/#google_vignette Ajedrez],'
Chess pieces move accordingly to fixed rules, symbolizing how humans
follow a predetermined destiny controlled by an unseen hand.
Many stories and poems by Borges also develop the idea of a destined
death. In '[
https://www.poesi.as/jlb0506.htm Poema conjetural],' an
important historical figure in the history of Argentina, who had
dreamed of having a civilized and prestigious life and death, ends up
being violently tracked down by "savages" and killed, but instead of
lamenting his death, he dies surprisingly joyfully "finding his south
american destiny".
Similarly, in 'The South', a dying man in a hospital hallucinates
about having a heroic death, in which he is killed in a duel against a
gaucho.
See also
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* Ājīvika
* Causality
* Divine providence
* Karma
* Lazy argument
* Omniscience
* Oracle
* Predestination in Islam
* Prophecy
* Russian avos'
* Psychology of human destiny
* Synchronicity
* Yuanfen
* Wyrd
Further reading
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* Kees W. Bolle, 'Encyclopedia of Religion.' Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd
ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference US, 2005. vol. 5, pp.
2998-3006.
* Tim O'Keefe,
"[
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2021/entries/freedom-ancient/
Ancient Theories of Freedom and Determinism.]" 'The Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy'
* Michael J. Meade 'Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul',
Greenfire Press, 2010,
* Robert C. Solomon, "On Fate and Fatalism." 'Philosophy East and
West' 53.4 (2003): 435-454.
* Cornelius, Geoffrey, C. (1994). "The Moment of Astrology: Origins in
Divination", Penguin Group, part of Arkana Contemporary Astrology
series.
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