the.com/determinism
the universe's alibi: everything you'll ever do was already on the schedule.
means The philosophical view that every event, including every human choice, is the inevitable result of prior causes, so nothing could have happened otherwise.
from From Latin 'determinare,' to set boundaries or limits — built from 'de-' (off, completely) plus 'terminus,' a boundary or end-point (the same 'terminus' that gives us 'terminal' and 'terminate'). The Romans literally drew a line; the philosophers extended that line backward through time, deciding the boundaries of every event were fixed in advance. 'Determinism' as a formal term for the doctrine emerged in 19th-century philosophical writing, though the underlying idea — fate spelled out in cause and effect — is far older.
- laplace's demon
- A mind knowing all atoms could predict everything forever
- free will fight
- Compatibilists insist choice survives even if it's predetermined
- quantum wrench
- Particle randomness suggests the future may not be fixed
- legal stakes
- If predetermined, blame and punishment get philosophically awkward
- ancient roots
- Stoics taught accepting fate as cosmic logic
laplace's demon — pierre-simon laplace's 1814 thought experiment: an intellect knowing all particle positions could predict the entire future