Can the idea of free will and destiny exist together?

OF COARSE THEY CAN SO WHY ASK
Can the idea of free will and destiny exist together?
This is an interesting question.





If there is only destiny then anything you do is pre-ordained and even if you believe it to be your choice then it is not because someone has set your path for you.





If there is no destiny then there is free will, and you can turn left even if everything points to your needing to turn right.





I don%26#039;t believe they can exist together. They are opposite ends of the spectrum.
Can the idea of free will and destiny exist together?
One thing%26#039;s for sure - if we genuinely do have %26quot;free will%26quot; in the sense that most people mean it, then it%26#039;s bad news for the laws of physics as we understand them.





Take something as simple as lifting up that coffee cup to take a drink. Now we can describe the motions of all matter in the Universe in terms of the 3 forces: gravity, electro-weak, and the strong nuclear force (since the weak nuclear force got merged with electrmagnetism). This, along with the rules of general relativity and QM, allows us to make predictions about the motions of galaxies, stars, planets and even light to the extent that we can predict eclipses down to the nearest second, given sufficient computational power.





So, if your decision to take a drink of coffee is truly free, how do we use this to predict the motion of the cup? Nobody, no matter how big their computer, can predict exactly when you make a conscious, free, decision. (I know you can say it%26#039;s down to mechanical, chemical and electrical energy transmitted down your nerves and arm, but the initial conscious decision sets all this in motion.)





So it%26#039;s either one or the other, and some experiments which show that our brain starts %26#039;working%26#039; on decisions before we%26#039;re even conscious of thinking about it suggests very strongly that we don%26#039;t have free will.
Reply:I feel there is some confusion in this thinking.


Freewill, as is understood, is the tool to decide the future course of any action. Destiny , on the other hand , is more like the postmortem of an action.Freewill is instantaneous and natural for all human beings. Based on the freewill you act or you do not act and the choice is yours.


Destiny does not , in any way, stop any action. What help detiny can give to the human being is to act without any worry about the outcome of an action. One of the wisest sayings of the eastern philosophy is that we , human beings, have only the right to act and we have no control, whatsoever , over the results of our action. If this is understood, Destiny becomes a part of freewill.If this is not understood well they are inconflict.
Reply:Some athors have argued that the free ill is doomed, on the grounds that If we have free will, we are not able to cancel our free will and bow to destiny. This contradicts the idea of free will. The problem rises from our absolutist approach. The fact is that, there is neither free will, nor destiny in the absolute sense. Our willpower achieves its goals not by wizardry, but by overcoming the physical laws, and even in doing this it has to pay a price and make tradeoffs. Thereore, there is a certain limit to what our willpower can achieve.
Reply:yes very easy





the destiny will decide after the choices you make in life.





if $choice1 = $good ( $addpoint )


elseif $choice1 = $bad ( $removepoint )





if $choice2 = $good ( $addpoint )


elseif $choice2 = $bad ( $removepoint )





etc..





then at some timepoint:





if $points = %26quot;1 - 10%26quot; ( make poor %26amp; send to( %26quot;$HELL%26quot; ))


if $points = %26quot;10 - 100%26quot; ( kill %26amp; send to(%26quot;$REINCARNATION%26quot;))


if $points = %26quot;100 - 1000%26quot; ( make rich %26amp; send to(%26quot;$HEAVEN%26quot;))





am i making any sense ?





wait i think i%26#039;ll have another beer.
Reply:No. Since when did people start believing this. Here are the definitions. Decide for yourself.





Destiny - The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined


A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control





Free Will - The ability or discretion to choose; free choice.


The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.





See for yourself free will definition even states that it is unconstrained by fate or divine will.
Reply:Yes. That is possible.


Most people have free will until they get married.


The rest of their life are destiny.
Reply:YD%26#039;s answer is great. %26quot;we, human beings, have only the right to act and we have no control, whatsoever , over the results of our action.%26quot; That%26#039;s great, I love it.





I believe that there is a certain end point to which all of humanity is heading (destiny). But, working within those boundaries, I believe that we can make decisions that can alter the course that will lead us to that end (free will). Its like saying that that end point for us all will be reached one day, no matter what we do, but we are free to choose the route that we all take to get there. The choices we make each day can mean that it will take us more, or less, time to get there.





So, my answer is yes, they can both exist together.
Reply:No. They are mutually exclusive.





Free will refers to volition, or the human faculty of intent. With it we choose, decide and act.





Destiny refers to predetermination, or an imagined worldly faculty of intent. With it, the world %26quot;has chosen%26quot;, %26quot;has decided%26quot; and %26quot;has acted%26quot;.





If events are meant (intended) to happen, by will of the world(!), human volition will inevitably be subject to them, and in conflict with this %26quot;intent%26quot;. This makes the concept of free will and the idea of destiny mutually exclusive, where only one could exist. Of course, if you believe irrationally that they both exist, then it seems like a huge problem, and a confusing mystery to have such conflicting intents .





It%26#039;s not.





The reason is that free will exists, and destiny doesn%26#039;t. I mean, destiny exists as an idea, but free will actually exists in nature as a human trait.





So where does destiny come from? The idea of destiny is nothing but a misappropriation of the human faculty of volition to an imagined, inanimate greater entity. Whether it be gods, or the universe, or nature, imagining these entities willful, doesn%26#039;t make them so.





Now, only through will can you have intent, only with intent can you have meaning. Nothing is meant to be, that wasn%26#039;t willed into being. Every event, excluding human action, happens through the interaction of undirected forces. The powers we have to preserve our life with, the powers of human action (rationality, productivity), are, on the contrary, directed by the will, towards this goal of self-preservation. The will is only a feature of entities in the self-preservation game. It is life that is necessary for will. Without will, life ceases to be autonomous, and cannot be considered life.





The reason destiny is such a popular concept is due to a legacy of mystical thinking and anthropomorphizing, where human traits are attributed to non-living entities. This is where our gods and spirits come from. However, just like them, destiny%26#039;s only in the mind.
Reply:I think they are opposites.
Reply:I truly think so.Freewill is a precious gift given to each human on the planet.Some are destined to be leaders,some followers,some undecided.What influences them?Freewill.
Reply:Again your destiny is set by your free will. It is your free will that defines your destiny.
Reply:yes, they exist together as you know they do.





Non-living things and living things exist together in this Universe.





The collective freewill of all Living beings effects the destiny the Universe.





Enjoy
Reply:They are one in the same.
Reply:Only within a very general sense of %26#039;Destiny%26#039; can free will exist. In example, if a greatest virtue humanity can achieve is referred to as %26#039;Destiny%26#039;, and that alone, then free will is possible.





With our actions determined, free will can only exist as an illusion.
Reply:Fate and Free Will





Free will and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it? Free will and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one%26#039;s past actions, of divine will and of other factors.


There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self and that the ego is non-existent.


The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one%26#039;s helplessness and saying all the time, %26#039;Not I, but Thou, oh Lord%26#039; and giving up all sense of %26#039;I%26#039; and 鈥榤ine鈥? and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self-enquiry or bhakti marga (path).