Fate versus free will has been a debate for thousands of years and there is still yet to be an answer. This debate has gotten so heated that people have fought and died over it, like when an Armenian who supported free will was beheaded in 1619 over his public support. Or when it sparked the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619, where church councils fought and argued endlessly. Why has this been debated so fervently? What is fate? What is free will?
Fate is the idea that the course of events in life is predetermined, that it’s beyond a person’s control. It’s the idea that a ‘higher power’ decides the choices and outcome of your life. It’s like destiny, that everything’s “meant to be.”
Free will is the ability to make choices undetermined by fate or divine intervention. Free will means that you choose, not because something made you but because you wanted to.
So, what do members of the school community think about which idea most contributes to their lives?
- Fate: 5/34 | 15%
- Free Will: 5/34 | 15%
- Combination: 22/34 | 65%
- Neither: 2/34 | 5%
