Fatalism, Determinism, and Nietzsche's Brand of Compatibilism

Is man free? Are humans endowed with free will, which allows them to act according to their own choices, making them solely responsible for their actions? Or, are humans helpless victims of Fate? Are mankind's actions predetermined? Humans have been struggling over this issue since before Aristotle. This paper will define and discus fatalism, determinism, and Nietzsche's brand of compatibilism as an answer to the problems posed by determinalism by these views.Opposing Sides

There are multiple philosophical positions taken on the subject of free will. Determinists believe that human actions are "entirely controlled by previous conditions, operating under the laws of nature" (The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy). Indeterminists believe humans retain freedom and spontaneity despite being somewhat influenced by preexisting conditions (Dictionary.com Unabridged).

There are also two schools of thought on whether freedom and determinism can coexist. Compatibilists argue that in every sense, freedom is coexistent with determinism. Incompatibilists argue that free will and determinism cannot coexist.

Two types of Incompatibilists are Libertarians and No-freedom Theorists or Hard determinists. Libertarians support the argument that humans have the capacity to choose and act freely. Libertarians reject any theories that humans are in any way determined. Hard determinists believe that humans have no free will and are completely determined.

Determinism breaks down further into types of determinist thoughts including psychological determinists, physical determinists, and theological determinists. Psychological determinists believe that humans are determined by factors such as impressions of their childhood, education, environment, and influence of their parents. Physical determinists argue that human action is "subject to the laws of nature and restricted by biological conditioners" (Grillaert, 48). Theological determinists believe that an omniscient God predestines the human soul.

Similar to determinists are fatalists. Fatalists believe that our lives are subject to fate or "inevitable predetermination" (Dictionary.com Unabridged). Fate is defined as "something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot" (Dictionary.com Unabridged). Fatalism

Fatalism appears to spring up at certain stages of civilization. According to Thomas F. Bertonneau in his article Threading the Labyrinth: Fatalism and Moral Clarity in Three Late Antique Stories, fatalism rises in tandem with a "loosening of moral structures." The author appears to believe that humans in this day and age are adopting fatalist attitudes when they claim that alcoholism, drug addiction, and sexual promiscuity are diseases as opposed to "failures of character."

In modern days people blame biological and sociological mechanisms for their sins. In ancient times people blamed Fate or Fortune. Fate is usually thought of as an impersonal cosmic or omniscient force that predestines and intervenes in human life (Grillaert, 48). In the ancient Greek culture Fate was depicted as three old women:

Clotho ("Spinner") spins out the thread of life which carries with it

the fate of each human being from the moment of birth; Lachesis

("Apportioner") measures the thread; and Atropos ("Inflexible") [...]

cuts it off and brings life to an end. (Morford and Lenardon, 125)

Usually even the mighty Zeus could not change the destiny that the Fates spun for a person.

Fate was responsible for whether a person was rich or impoverished, sick or healthy, successful or a failure. Man was not responsible for his own actions, but was rather a pawn of fate.

Fate serves as the antagonist in Sophocle's tragedy "Oedipus the King." The people of Thebes are in turmoil, so Oedipus, their king, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the temple of Apollo to learn what has brought plagues upon Thebes. The people consult Apollo because he is the God of prophecy. Later the blind prophet of Apollo, Teiresias comes to Thebes and reveals Oedipus' fate. He tells Oedipus that his people will on turn on him, that he will lose everything, and be blind and exiled. Teiresias further says Oedipus will soon discover that he is both father and brother to his children and son and husband to his wife (Sophocles, lines 447-460).

Jocasta, who turns out to be both the wife and mother of Oedipus believes that she has cheated fate. Jocasta was previously married to Lauis until Oedipus killed him. Years previously while in exile, Lauis abused the hospitality of a king that took him in. Apollo heard the cries of this king and cursed Lauis - prophesying that he would father a son that would murder him (Morford and Lenardon, 380).

Jocasta attempted to outwit fate by having Oedipus killed as a baby. As a person's destiny cannot be changed once the Fates had spun it. Things did not go according to Jocasta's plans. The servant that she sent to kill baby Oedipus couldn't go through with it. He sent the baby to live with the King and Queen of Corinth, as they couldn't have children. Once Jocasta sent the infant to his death in an attempt to change her husband's destiny, the curse was extended to include her. This is scene in the difference in the prophecy that Laius heard, and the one Oedipus heard when as a young man he went to the oracle in Delphi to find his destiny.

The oracle at Delphi told Oedipus that his fate was to lie with his mother, "to show daylight to an accursed breed," and to be murderer of his father (Sophocles, lines 791-794). The curse to lay with his own mother was only after Jocasta intervened in fate's path. Oedipus like Jocasta, tried to thwart fate by fleeing Corinth and his adoptive parents.

In the end of this tragedy Fate is victorious. Laius was slain by Oedipus. Oedipus bedded his mother and bore offspring with her. Jocasta kills herself when she realizes what she has done. Oedipus gouges out his eyes and is exiled just as Teiresias told him he would be.

This tragedy mirrors the Greek belief that man's life was controlled by fate. Man cannot escape fate, so it's better to accept it or worse may be brought upon you.

A later example of Fatalism is found in Satyricon, written by a first century Epicurean called Petronius. Satyricon is about a con man named Encolpius. Encolpius boards a ship in order to escape his creditors only to discover his creditors own the ship he is on. Instead of accepting responsibility for his own choices in life he blames fate, saying, "Fate has utterly defeated me at last" (Bertonneau, 38).

Another character, Trimalchio, attributes his wealth and success to Fortune rather than to his own hard work and strong business mind. The author at one-point writes, "One should not rely a great deal on one's plans as fate has a way of her own" (Bertonneau, 39).

In this story fate is used an excuse for bad choices and negative behaviors. Encolpius involved himself in bad situations because he wanted to, but when others found fault with his character he blamed fate.

Determinism

Fatalists believe that what is bound to happen will happen. Determinists differ in that they believe things happen because of what a man does or who he is. In other words our choices are the sum of prior causes and the means by which other events in our life occur (Richards).

Nietzsche wrote about determinism in two of his early essays: Fatum und Geschichte and Willensfreiheit und Fatum. The young Nietzsche supported psychological, physical and theological determinism. Nietzsche felt that humans are determined by such factors childhood impressions, parental influence, environment, relationships with others, "a fatalistic structure of skull and spine" (Grillaert, 48), and also a preexistent condition of the soul. He further asserts that fate is not a transcendent power as the Greek viewed it, but more a complex mixture of determining aspects.

Dr. William Hasker, a professor of philosophy at Huntington College, in his book Metaphysics: Constructing a Worldview writes:

From psychology we learn about reinforcement and conditioning, and about childhood experiences which have made us what we are. From biology we learn of genetic determinants of behaviour and of biochemical balances in the brain which determine everything from fleeting moods and emotions to our very sanity. From physics we learn to see ourselves, our society, our entire planet, as a tiny part of an inconceivably vast universe which is ruled throughout by immutable physical laws. Nowhere in this picture is there room for an individual human being who determines what shall take place in [their] own life without regard to the necessary relationships of cause and effect in the universe as a whole. (Richards)

This statement seems quite logical, however, this view too makes it easy for man to blame external factors for his bad choices. For example, someone that steals money or goods could claim they are innocent as having no money, a bad childhood and other factors gave them no choice but to steal. Determinism creates a moral dilemma in that society wants people to be responsible for their own actions, but determinism implies that they can't.

Compatibilism

Nietzsche saw problems in the determinist arguments, and developed his own thoughts on the free will vs. determinism debate. First Nietzsche defines free will as the "means to possess the power to determine oneself" (Grillaert, 47). Nietzsche equated free will to self-determination. Nietzsche acknowledges that humans are determined, as mentioned under the previous heading. Though we are determined that our ability to reflect and reason on free will is evidence that humans have free will.

Nietzsche argues that humans need both free will and fate. He asserts that fate is necessary as a force of resistance against free will. Nietzsche felt that these two opposing forces could not exist without one another, just as good cannot exist without evil and spirit cannot exist without reality. Their significance lies in their opposition. Fate and free will counterbalance and complement each other.

In Willensfreiheit und Fatum Nietzsche defines fate as an abstract comment. He states:

So should we [...] not forget, firstly, that fate is only an abstract concept, a force without substance, that for the individual there is only an individual fate, that fate is nothing but a chain of events, that man, as soon as he acts and as a result creates his own events, determines his own fate, that in general, the events, as they affect man, are consciously or unconsciously caused by himself and must suit him. (Grillaert, 52)

Nietzsche maintains that man can individualize the concept of fate by incorporating fate in his life and joining it with his personal characteristics and actions. He believed man can transform fate into personal destiny and distinguish themselves as strong of will. Nietzsche also believed that the individual decides how much fate or free will determines his life - man is the master of his own fate. Finally Nietzsche believes that free will means the "power to accept and transcend one's fate" (Grillaert, 56).

Conclusion

The first section of this paper named and defined the opposing sides in the argument of fate or free will; determinists or indeterminists; compatibilists and incompatibilits. The second section of this paper covered two examples of fatalism in antique writings: the ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus the King and the 1^st Century Roman Satyricon. These two examples demonstrate faults in the fatalist view. If man's destiny is already spelled out at birth, than he has no moral responsiblyfor his actions, as it is Fate that has given made him a liar, a thief, a drunkard or a murdered. Fate is blamed for a person's bad character. Another downfall of fatalism is that once a man's fate has been set he cannot alter it or escape it.

The third section of this paper discusses determinalism. There are multiple forms or schools of thought on determinism including: Physical, psychological and theological determinists. Determinists believe that man does not have free will as his life is determined by external factors such as education, parenting, impressions of childhood, culture, our bodies, physical laws of nature, and/or God. This viewpoint also leaves man to make excuses for his shortcomings and bad deeds, rather than accept responsibility for his own actions. The last section of this paper discussed Nietzsche's solution to free will vs. fate. In Nietzsche's view, man is predetermined by external factors, but he doesn't see this as a problem. Fate is needed as a counterbalance to free will. Nietzsche felt that man could transform fate into personal destiny. Nietzsche's arguments allow for personal responsibility for one's own actions. The views covered in this essay are just a small example of the many varying views on the issue of free will vs. determinism. Man may never know the whole truth on this issue.

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