Look updestiny orfate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Destiny, sometimes also calledfate (from Latinfatum'decree, prediction, destiny, fate'), is a predetermined course of events.[1][2] It may be conceived as apredetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Although often used interchangeably, the wordsfate anddestiny have distinct connotations. The earliest known mention of the term or its meaning is found on a document written in cuneiform script that reports on the mythicalTablet of Destinies. It probably refers to a political treaty between three groups of Sumerian gods (cf. theEpic Athra Hasis), whereby only the leader has the power to restore the things he once determined to their original state.
Todays traditional usage defines fate similar: as a power or agency that predetermines (rules) the attributes of a thing or set of events positively or negatively affecting someone or a group. Other possibilities are that of anidiom, totell someone's fortune, or simply the result of chance and events. InHellenistic civilization, the chaotic and unforeseeable turns ofchance gave increasing prominence to a previously less notable goddess,Tyche (literally "Luck"), who embodied the good fortune of a city and all whose lives depended on its security and prosperity, two good qualities of life that appeared to be out of human reach. The Roman image ofFortuna, with the wheel she blindly turned, was retained by Christian writers includingBoethius, revived strongly in the Renaissance, and survives in some forms today.[3]
Philosophy on the concepts of destiny and fate has existed since the Hellenistic period with groups such as theStoics and theEpicureans.
The Stoics believed that human decisions and actions ultimately went according to a divine plan devised by a god.[citation needed] They claimed that although humans theoretically havefree will, their souls and the circumstances under which they live are all part of the universal network of fate.
The Epicureans challenged the Stoic beliefs by denying the existence of this divine fate. They believed that a human's actions were voluntary so long as they were rational.[4]
In common usage,destiny andfate are synonymous, but with regard to19th-century philosophy, the words gained inherently different meanings.
ForArthur Schopenhauer, destiny was just a manifestation of the Will to Live, which can be at the same time living fate and choice of overrunning fate, by means of theArt, of theMorality and of theAscesis.[citation needed]
ForFriedrich Nietzsche, destiny keeps the form ofAmor fati (Love of Fate) through the important element of Nietzsche's philosophy, the "will to power" (derWille zur Macht), the basis of human behavior, influenced by the Will to Live of Schopenhauer. But this concept may have even other senses, although he, in various places, saw the will to power as a strong element for adaptation or survival in a better way.[5] Nietzsche eventually transformed the idea of matter as centers of force into matter as centers of will to power as humanity's destiny to face withamor fati. The expressionAmor fati is used repeatedly byNietzsche as acceptation-choice of thefate, but in such way it becomes even another thing, precisely a "choice" destiny.
Determinism is a philosophical concept often confused with fate. It can be defined as the notion that all intents/actions arecausally determined by the culminations of an agent's existing circumstances; simply put, everything that happens is determined by things that have already happened.[6] Determinism differs from fate in that it is never conceived as being a spiritual, religious, nor astrological notion; fate is typically thought of as being "given" or "decreed" while determinism is "caused". Influential philosophers likeRobert Kane,Thomas Nagel,Roderick Chisholm, andA. J. Ayer have written about this notion.
Ming yun (Chinese:命運) is a concept of the personal life and destiny in theChinese folk religion.Ming means 'life', 'right', or 'destiny', andyun means 'circumstance' or 'individual choice'.Mìng is given and influenced byTian 'heaven', akin to theMandate of Heaven of monarchs as identified byMencius.Ming yun is thus perceived as being both fixed, flexible, and open-ended.[7]
Followers ofAncient Greek religion regarded not only theMoirai but also the gods, particularlyZeus, as responsible for deciding and carrying out destiny, respectively.
WithinBuddhism, all phenomena (mind or otherwise) are taught as dependently arisen from previous phenomena according to universal law – a concept known aspaṭiccasamuppāda. This core teaching is shared across all schools of thought, and directly informs other core concepts such asimpermanence andnon-self (also common to all schools of Buddhism).
Metaphorical expressions of a predetermined destiny are commonly used by politicians to describe events not understood.Otto Von Bismarck said that the best a politician can do is to 'listen for God's footsteps and hang on to His coat tails'.[11]
InWar and Peace,Leo Tolstoy wrote of the 'unconscious swarm-life of mankind', whileShakespeare spoke of a 'tide in the affairs of men' in his playJulius Caesar.
In ancient Greece, many legends and tales teach the futility of trying to outmaneuver an inexorable fate that has been correctly predicted. This portrayal of fate is present in works such asOedipus Rex (427 BCE),[13] theIliad, theOdyssey (800 BCE), andTheogony. Many ancient Chinese works have also portrayed the concept of fate, most notably theLiezi,Mengzi, and theZhuangzi. Similarly, and in Italy, the SpanishDuque de Rivas' play thatVerdi transformed intoLa Forza del Destino ("The Force of Destiny") includes notions of fate.[citation needed]
In Germany, fate is a recurring theme in the literature ofHermann Hesse (1877–1962), includingSiddharta (1922) and his magnum opus,Das Glasperlenspiel, also published asThe Glass Bead Game (1943). And by Hollywood through such characters as Neo inThe Matrix. The common theme of these works involves a protagonist who cannot escape their destiny, however hard they try. InNeil Gaiman's graphic novel seriesThe Sandman, destiny is one of theEndless, depicted as a blind man carrying a book that contains all the past and all the future: "Destiny is the oldest of the Endless; in the Beginning was the Word, and it was traced by hand on the first page of his book, before ever it was spoken aloud."[14]
Destiny is a frequent concept inJorge Luis Borges' stories and poems.
Destiny is a frequent concept inJorge Luis Borges' short stories and poems. InThe Garden of Forking Paths, destiny is represented by alabyrinth of choices, where every possibility exists simultaneously. The protagonist later realizes his actions are predetermined as the story unfolds with an inevitable conclusion. InThe Lottery in Babylon, as a metaphor for fate and chance, a secret lottery determines every aspect of life, making personal choice irrelevant. InAjedrez, Chess pieces move accordingly to fixed rules, symbolizing how humans follow a predetermined destiny controlled by an unseen hand.
Many stories and poems by Borges also develop the idea of a destined death. InPoema conjetural, an important historical figure in the history ofArgentina, who had dreamed of having a civilized and prestigious life and death, ends up being violently tracked down by "savages" and killed, but instead of lamenting his death, he dies surprisingly joyfully "finding his south american destiny".
Similarly, inThe South, a dying man in a hospital hallucinates about having a heroic death, in which he is killed in aduel against agaucho.
