Determinism and Sliding Doors
Determinism is an integral theme in Director Peter Howitt's movie, Sliding Doors. In Sliding Doors, a small, seemingly insignificant act makes profound changes in the life of the lead character, Helen. Nonetheless, as the movie progresses, it becomes clear that some fundamental aspects of Helen's life, told in parallel stories, remain the same, suggesting some role for determinism.
Determinism is a school of philosophical thought that argues that every event is predetermined, or caused, by events in the past. Even human thoughts are caused by prior events and thoughts, according to the determinist idea. This contrasts completely with the idea of free will, in which humans are capable of making decisions and taking actions that can alter the course of their lives (Wikipedia).
The movie, Sliding Doors, tackles the problem of determinism vs. free will head on. Sliding Doors examines two potential parallel life courses for a young British woman, Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow). Helen is fired from her PR job, and goes home in the middle of the day...
Humbert is awaiting trial for murder, and act of his own free will. No one will argue that Humbert could have made other choices in this case. However, it can be argued whether his sudden coronary in the end was a twist of bad fate, or of good fate. On one hand, it ended his life, on the other; it saved him from life in prison. Lolita's death in
His theory suggests that the ideas themselves take on lives of their own. However, if they are, in their inception, human, doesn't the person who first created them, who first thought them up have the free will to do so? Thus, the arguments made by both Dennett (2007) and the textbook are sound ones, but the idea of free will still has a fighting chance up against these clearly
Oedipus Contribute to His Own Fate Oedipus -- fate vs. free will Ancient Greek philosophy promotes the idea that fate plays an important role in people's lives and that it would be pointless for individuals to attempt to change it. Fate takes on an ironic turn in the Ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, with the central character being fated to encounter both success and misery in his life before it
This makes people superstitious, but, in the same time, it makes them combine fate with free will as they act out of their own free will with the intention to alter fate. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" describes how superstitious people can contribute to altering fate. Superstitious people are disadvantaged because of their beliefs and because of their absurd theories. Also, the fact that they are superstitious prevents them from acting
Ekstrom 121) The greatest strength of the concept of free will is that it allows evil deeds to be explained as poor conceptions of a weak human mind. The individual abilty to learn and become a greater agent of responsibility seeks a concept of free will to explain how this can be done and with good reason. The individual has no reason to express learning and to grow from human ideas
Therefore, they are compelled to choose what they do in order to instantiate God's foreordainment of history. It wouldn't seem to make sense, therefore, for the person to attempt to change their circumstances or to fight against fate. Affliction, tragedy and evil would be just what God wishes to throw at an individual, who could scarcely escape its occurrence. This seems to suggest a response of futility toward life
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