Question

Which of the following statements accurately describes the philosophical concept of predeterminism?

1) All future events are determined by preceding events, as in a chain, but human beings may still be able to interfere with this chain of events.
2) All events are predestined to happen by a supernatural force.
3) All events, past, present, and future, are determined in advance.
4) Human beings are able to make choices whose outcomes are not already determined.

Answer 1

Predeterminism is the philosophical concept that all events are determined in advance, making option 3 the correct description. It is related to fatalism and determinism, which differ from the concept of free will as proposed by indeterminism and libertarianism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The philosophical concept of predeterminism refers to the idea that all events, past, present, and future, are determined in advance. This means that every event is an inevitable outcome of preceding events, and there is no possibility of altering what will happen. So, out of the options provided, the statement that accurately describes predeterminism is option 3) All events, past, present, and future, are determined in advance. This concept is often related to fatalism and determinism, where fatalism is the belief that all events are unavoidable due to some supernatural force or destiny, and determinism is the thesis that every event is caused by preceding events in accordance with universal causation. In contrast, indeterminism or libertarianism would suggest that humans have the ability to make choices that are not predetermined.