Are our choices really ours?
Long before I had my first philosophy lecture in the university, I was opportuned to be introduced to the world of philosophy via a book I found in my uncle's library. It was titled "Philosophy made simple."
Amidst some certain postulates I found in that book, one of them stood out prominently in my mind.
A group of philosophers were arguing the concept of "fate."
One of them, a religious who believed in the existence of God, postulated that our lives, right from conception, has been fated. In essence, our lives have already been planned for us from our birth till our death.
Now, an atheist asked an interesting question:
"if truly our lives have really been planned by God from day one, then are our decisions really ours?"
That got me thinking about the concept of fate and choice. Are we really living out a script? If we're actually living a pre-planned existence, then are our actions really ours? Do we really have the ability to make our own choices?
Say for example, you're confused between being a footballer and being a doctor, you subsequently decided, after much thought, to become a doctor.
Then, did you really "decide" to become a doctor, or has it been destined that you'll "decide" to be a doctor??
If all our lives have been pre-planned for us, then has our final destinations been pre-planned too? Am talking about heaven and hell this time?
You get the drift?
If our lives have been destined to follow a particular pattern, then does it mean criminals have always been destined to be bad? Destined to be condemned?
Well, these are just my thoughts, and am still thinking...
But I'll really love to be enlightened by the bright minds that abound in steemit.
Am really looking forward to reading comments that will give me a shove in the right direction.
Thanks for upvoting my post. Upvoting and following you from now on. Happy new year
Thanks. All the best!
Not entirely @mapens, every man has two destinies, the natural destiny and the divine destiny (now this is no religion but it's a talk for another day) see, when they say life has been predestined is like saying there's a path already made for you to follow. That's predestination.
Now, the choice to follow that path or create another one is yours. God gave us freewill, that's why there's still so much wickedness in the world, because man is left with a choice and the free will to make either right or wrong.
The criminal has a choice to do right, but chooses to do wrong and corrupts his conscience into accepting what he's done.
Everyone is in control of their choices, and they can either follow the one God has given or the one nature has given.
When you get born again, you begin the path that God has made for you.
Wow! Thanks for this 👍
For me I don't think our choices have been pre planned cos even God gave us the power to choose. Nice write up @mapens.
Thanks.
I have had the same train of thoughts on several occasions, but the concept of free will resonants in my mind.
It's gets confusing sometimes, because the Bible said that before we were conceived he knew us. I still wonder like you do if we are living out a script, fated by the all powerful or if really we exercise free will over our actions.
I am still looking for answers.
Nice write up tho.
Thanks! I hope we both find the answers we're looking for...
Yes, we will.