~~~~~~ World Bibliography of Beliefs, Theories and Theologies ~ click pix to enlarge ~~~~~~

Theological fatalism

Theological fatalism is the view that all our actions are pre-determined because of God’s forknowledge of them, and that therefore we have no free will. A related attempt to demonstrate a logical contradiction between an omniscient God and free will is discussed in the Argument from free will.

The argument is roughly stated as follows:

God is omniscient. 
Since God is omniscient, God has infallible foreknowledge. 
If God has infallible foreknowledge that tomorrow you will engage in event X, then you must 
invariably engage in event X. 
You must invariably engage in event X.

Discussion of the argument

Therefore, free-will is not possible since you have no alternative except to engage in event X. In the event that you do not fulfil event X, then God is not omniscient. Alternatively, if you engage in event X, then you don’t have free-will on account of the inability to choose another alternative.

However, the premises contain some logical flaws and circular logic. First, premise 4 does not logically follow from the earlier premises, since no premise states that God has infallible foreknowledge that tomorrow you will engage in event X. Premise 3 states what will occur if that were true, but no premise actually asserts that knowledge.

Secondly, premise 3 assumes what is trying to be proven. In an argument trying to prove that foreknowledge of X logically leads to having to do X, premise 3 simply states this outright. If you accept premise 3, then technically you don’t even need the other premises, because premise 3 states the conclusion that it is attempting to prove. Thus, the argument is a case of circular logic, and is therefore invalid.

An opposing argument can state:

God is omniscient

Since God is omniscient, He is also infallible.

If God has infallible foreknowledge that tomorrow you will engage in event X, then you will freely choose this based on your free will, not obligation or lack of choice in event X. You still have free will to engage in event X; God merely knows your choice before you make it. You are not obliged to make choice ’X’ anymore than choice ’A’. If you were going to change your mind, God would have seen that also, so you still have full free will in all matters. Also, you will still make the same choices [with free will] even if God chose to not see the future. Seeing the future or not does not alter your free will.

With passive foreknowledge, if it were kept hidden, it would not invalidate free will in any logical or rational way. The individual choosing event X, would be making the exact same choices regardless of whether God knew the choices beforehand or not. God knowing or not knowing the future [passively] would not alter the free will of individuals at all. The demise of free will would only logically come if God made His knowledge public in regard to the free will choice of individuals; this would therefore alter future free will, and make it an obligation. One simple illustration could be a psychic person foreseeing someone the other side of the world tripping and breaking their leg when they run to catch a bus. The psychic would not be altering reality be foreseeing this event, as this event would still happen regardless of whether someone has seen it or not, the same application can be applied to God’s omniscience, as long as it is passive, and non-interfering with reality or other’s knowledge of it, then it is not contravening the free will of humans.

However, if it is to be understood that God created all that is created, the principle asserts that this poses a problem for any passive knowledge on God’s part. An understanding of omniscience must be joined with an understanding of God’s omnipresence in time. If God knows all events past, future, and present then he would know all events and decisions an individual would make though from the individuals perspective those events and decisions have not yet occurred. This can be viewed, at least implicitly, as a nullification of any concept of free will for any individual though no mechanism for God’s apparent foreknowledge restraining the freedom to act of the individual is posited by the principle of theological fatalism. Since, according the Christian theology, God is atemporal (existing outside of time), God knows from creation the entire course of one’s life, all the actions in which he will partake, and even whether or not that individual will accept his divine authority. With these preconditions, only a starkly fatalist theological position seems imaginable to some.

Alternatively, if God can see the future like it was past history like reading a past infinite almanac, then He (as long as He didn’t tell anyone or influence their choices) would not be responsible for the outcomes anymore then if He’d never looked.

Fatalism

Fatalism is a philosophical doctrine emphasizing the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or inevitable predetermination.

Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible. This belief is very similar to determinism.

That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end. This belief is very similar to compatibilist predestination.

That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar to defeatism.

Determinism, fatalism and predestination While the terms are often used interchangeably, fatalism, determinism, and predestination are discrete in emphasizing different aspects of the futility of human will or the foreordination of destiny. However, all these doctrines share common ground.

Determinists generally agree that human actions affect the future, although that future is predetermined. Little to none of their dogma accentuates a "submission" to fate, whereas fatalists stress an acceptance of all events as inevitable. In other words, determinists believe the future is fixed because of action and causality, whereas fatalists and many predestinarians think the future is ineluctable despite causality.

Therefore, in determinism, if the past were different, the present and future would differ also. For fatalists, such a question is negligible, since no other present/future/past could exist except what exists now.

The idle argument

One ancient argument for fatalism, called the idle argument, went like this:

If it is fated for you to recover from your illness, then you will recover whether you call a doctor or not.

Likewise, if you are fated not to recover, you will not do so even if you call a doctor.

It is either fated that you will recover from your illness, or that you will not recover from your illness.

While the idle argument, applies fatalism on the effect side (i.e, the recovery from illness), it does not apply fatalism to the cause side. Strictly speaking fatalists apply it to both sides of the cause and effect. While the fact that you will recover or not is left to fate, fatalists believe it is also pre-determined whether or not you will call the doctor.

The logical argument

Arguments for fatalism, although rarely accepted, do have a bearing on discussions about the nature of truth. The logical argument for fatalism says that, if there will be a sea battle tomorrow, and someone says "there will be a sea battle tomorrow" then that sentence is true, even before the sea battle occurs. But given that the sentence is true, the sea battle could not fail to take place. This argument can be rejected by denying that predictions about the future have to be true or false when they are made - ie, rejecting bivalence for sentences about the future, though this is controversial.

Fatalism in Popular Culture

Kurt Vonnegut satirized fatalism in several novels including Slaughterhouse-Five.

In the anime series, Yu Yu Hakusho, when Yusuke Urameshi dies for the first time, Botan notes "My, my... so fatalistic... and only 14 years old."

The character of John Locke on ABC’s television show "Lost" is portrayed as a fatalist, with many of his decision-making being done based on what he feels is his "destiny".

The Tales of Symphonia character Kratos Aurion adopts a fatalist view of the world after its division into the twin worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe’alla.

Neji Hyuuga in the anime series Naruto, strongly believed in the idea of fate early on in the series.

The Robbers on High Street have a song called The Fatalist.

The story of Markandeya

Notes
^ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 
^ Catholic Encyclopedia 
^ The Idle Argument at the S.E.P 
^ Aristotle, De Interpretatione, 9 

See also
 
Determinism 
 
Accidental Necessity 
Predestination 
Calvinism 
Amor fati 
Defeatism 
Predestination in Islam 
Shikata ga nai (Japanese expression)