Exploring Future and Existence: Fatalism and Existentialism

1. Week 08 Existence

2. In today’s lecture… • Recap • Existentialism • Control

3. Recap Fatalism asserts that: • The future is fixed and determined. • There is nothing we can do to change the future. (Human action is futile 無用的and ineffectual無效的.)

4. Recap • If fatalism is true, the future is fixed and determined. It may be possible to predict the future (and perhaps fortune-telling makes sense). • But if fatalism is false, then the future is open and unpredictable because our actions can change the future.

5. Recap • We have free will only if our actions are caused by ourselves, i.e. our actions are the result of our conscious choice. • Choice, therefore, is a necessary condition for free will. If we do not have the power or ability to make choices, we do not have free will.

6. Recap • Thus, we have 2 different interpretations (解釋) of fatalismif the possibility of free will is taken into consideration: [1] Free will is an illusion (假象). We do not have free will; and because of that, we have no control over future events.

7. Recap • OR: [2] Even if we have free will, we cannot change the future through our actions. If something is going to happen, it will happen no matter what we do. (the ‘idle argument’)

8. Recap • 4 arguments related to fatalism: [1] Karma [2] Logical determinism [3] Theological determinism [4] Causal determinism

9. Recap • 4 questions: Is the future fixed and determined? Is it possible to predict the future? Do we have free will? Can we change the future through our actions?

10. Karma (Hinduism) • The future is to a very large extent fixed and determined. We cannot change the future.There is little room for free will because we have little or no choice. The future is unpredictable because karma works in mysterious (玄妙的) ways.

11. Karma (Buddhism) • The future is not completely fixed and determined.There are things we can do to change the future. We have free will and responsibilities. We can escape from reincarnation and achieve nirvana through making correct moral choices.

12. Logical determinism • The future is fixed and determined as a matter of logical necessity. There is nothing we can do to change the future. If something is going to happen, it will happen no matter what we think or do.Free will and choice are irrelevant.

13. Aristotle • The future is not fixed and determined as a matter of logical necessity. The law of bivalence does not apply to some statements about the future. The future is open because people’s actions and decisions can change or affect what is going to happen in the future.

14. Divine predestination • The future is fixed and determined because everything happens as a result of ‘God’s will’. There is nothing we can do to change the future. We do not have choice and free will becausewe cannot act against God’s will.

15. Divine omniscience • God is like a perfect fortune-teller who knows everything that is going to happen in the future. We have no choice and free will. Why? Because if we can make free choices and do something that God has not expected us to do, then God is not really ‘all-knowing’. Thus, free will is an illusion and the future is fixed and determined.

16. Causal determinism • The future is predictable because all events, including human actions, are governed by causal laws and determined by events preceding (先於) them. Because we can find causal explanations for all human actions,the concept of ‘free will’ is either wrong or meaningless.

17. Existence

18. Existentialism Contemporary western philosophy can be divided into two main camps: [1] analytic philosophy 分析哲學 (the mainstream主流 in English-speaking countries) [2] continental philosophy 歐陸哲學 (the mainstream in Europe)

19. Existentialism • Existentialism (存在主義) is an important school of thought or intellectual movement (思潮) in contemporary continental philosophy. • Existentialist thinkers are particularly concerned about the meaning of human existence.

20. Existentialism • Analytic philosophers of the English-speaking world usually analyze concepts and examine arguments in a rational (理性的) and objective manner. • Existentialistsoppose this approach. They think that this kind of detached (抽離的) and objective analysis bears little relationship to our daily life.

21. Existentialism • Existentialists are interested in questions such as ‘What is the meaning of life?’,i.e. questions that are important to us as ‘individuals’. • The focus of existentialism is the proper (恰當的) way of living rather than the pursuit (追求) of theoretical knowledge or objective truth.

22. Existentialism • Existentialists are particularly dissatisfied with the mechanistic worldview (機械論的世界觀) which holds that human action can be explained in terms of causality. • The mechanistic worldview assumes that human beings can be understood predictably, scientifically, and exclusively (完全地) as natural objects.

23. Existentialism • Causal determinism leavesno room for human freedom and responsibility. It does not provide a foundation (基礎) for meaningful human existence. • For this reason, existentialists rejectthe mechanistic worldview and causal explanations of human action.

24. Existentialism • Existentialism provides a better account of what it means to be ‘human’ byemphasizing the difference between humans and inanimate objects(死物). • Existentialism gives human beings dignity (尊嚴) by refusing to seepeople as mere objects.

25. Existentialism Why are human beings different from inanimate objects and other living things? Do you think causal determinism provides an adequate explanation of human action?

26. Existentialism • For existentialists, science in general (and causal explanations in particular) does not provide an adequate framework for understanding humans. • Although humans can be studied and understood in scientific (e.g. biological or psychological) terms, science cannot tell us what it means to be human.

27. Existentialism • Existentialists maintain that humans are fundamentally (根本上) different from any other objects or beings (存在物). • Existentialism emphasizes the need to understand humanity (i.e. what it means to be human) in terms of individuality, freedom, choice, and commitment (承諾、投入感).

28. Existentialism • Existentialism is a philosophy centered on humanity. It emphasizes, in particular,the significance of individual choice. • The primary concern of existentialism is:How can we live authentically (真實的) in a meaningless world?

29. Existentialism • A central theme of existentialism is that the world itself is meaningless and absurd(荒謬的).There is no ultimate explanation as to why things are the way they are. • Life, in itself, is meaningless and absurd;it is only through freedom and personal choice that our lives can become meaningful.

30. Existentialism • Existentialists believe that the world itself is devoid of (沒有) meaning, but we can give meaning to our existence through the choices we make and the actions we take. • To liveauthentically(真實地), we have to be able make free choices and take responsibility for our own actions.

31. Existentialism • Existentialists believe in free will. Our choices are free in the sense that: [1] no outside factors determine our will; and [2] we could have acted otherwise than we did. • We are, therefore, responsible for our choices– we should take responsibility for the decisions we make for ourselves.

32. Existentialism • According to existentialists, we humans are special because we have the freedom to make decisions and we can take responsibility for our own choices. • Existentialism emphasizes the uniqueness of individuals, i.e. everyone should be seen as a unique (獨特的) individual.

33. Existentialism • Existentialism is not concerned about universal moral rules or principles (普遍的道德律). The starting point of existentialism is ‘the single individual’. • No one else can tell us how we should live our lives. As single individuals, we must give meaning to our own existence through the personal choices we make.

34. Existentialism • From a historical point of view, existentialism can be seen as a reaction (反動) against the rise of modern mass society (群眾社會) and the tendency towards conformity (服從). • As a person-centered philosophy, existentialism emphasizes the importance of personal character and individual choice.

35. Existentialism • For existentialists, human beings are self-created, i.e. we create our own identities – we become who we are through our own actions and decisions. • All of us are free to make conscious choices. Every personal choice we make can be seen as a free act of self-determination(自決).

36. Think! What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist in this world? What can we do to make our lives more meaningful? If these are serious (嚴肅的) and important questions, why does nobody talk about them? Is there something ‘inauthentic’ (不真實的、虛偽的) about our social life?

37. Next week • 4 existentialist philosophers: Kierkegaard (齊克果) –‘passion of faith’ (全情投入的信仰) Nietzsche (尼釆) –‘God is dead’ (上帝已死) Sartre (沙特) –‘existence precedes essence’ (存在先於本質) Camus (卡繆)–‘absurdity’ (荒謬)

38. Read! Go to the course website, download and read the article titled ‘Existentialism in a Nutshell’.

39. Control As you are watching the film, think about how much control Lee Ray Oliver (the main character) has over his own life and things that happen to him.