Blog Task #3 Josh Harel

The Christian idea of fate/free will is that there is "usually a destined outcome based upon our decisions." In other words, certain things lead to and/or happen because of certain choices. The example the author gives is the story of Adam and Eve. The short version of the story is that God made a garden and said "Don't eat the fruits," but then there was a talking snake who said "Eat the fruits." So Eve did, and God got so mad he had to make punishments. The author says that the reason Eve ate the apple is because she lived in the garden. Elsewhere, she wouldn't have been able to. This is essentially saying that God's will (fate) indirectly led to Eve choosing to eat the fruit (free will.) This is somewhat related to The Alchemist, where the crystal shop merchant says that he is obliged by God to visit the city of Mecca (fate), but he still has not gone there (free will.)

The scientific idea of fate/free will consists of 4 basic arguments. In the simplest terms (as I understood them), they are:
1. Things are random and have no set being.
2. When we do things, we are exercising free will.
3. In theory, if you are able to predict what someone or something is about to do, that person/thing has no free will.
4. Things are symmetrical, so if something happens in one direction, it's possible that it could have happened in the other direction too.
I find this very strange and honestly have a lot of trouble comprehending it. I guess science says that there is free will and that nothing is set in stone unless we anticipate it. Perhaps humans are the ones who determine the fate of things if they believe hard enough?

JH