des·ti·nyˈ (destinē) noun - the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future; the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.*
If destiny exists, can free will exist?
If free will is defined as the ability to choose between different courses of action unimpeded^, and destiny is a predetermined series of events beyond our control, do we have any influence over our own actions? Even if we are given what appears to be free will at times, if we are destined to arrive at a final end goal with a specific result, can one argue that we truly have free will?
In the case of an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent higher power, if there is no choice between alternatives and all actions are predetermined, can that being truly be simultaneously omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent if an individual is sent to hell or otherwise faces divine punishment? If the higher being saw the outcome of the series of events and refused to change it, they are either not all-powerful, not all-good, or neither. If the being did not see the outcome of the series of events, either they are not all-knowing or they lack concern for at least certain individual people, in which case they are not all-good.
If free will does not exist, do we have control of our actions? If we do not have control of our actions, can we be held responsible for our actions?
If destiny does not exist and we have free will, does this mean that there is no structure for the trajectory of our existence, making it entirely unpredictable?
Does the chaos of Noochism disturb the peace of your soul?
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*Definition taken from Google search for "destiny definition" to save time.
^ Definition taken from Wikipedia page for "Free Will" for simplicity's sake.
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Job Openings: Philosophy and Prompts
FanfictionThis is a collection of nonsense and story ideas that I don't have the time or interest to include in my one-shot collections, but would be interested in reading. Beware of crack and existential crises beyond this point. This list probably won't be...
