Determinism yielded a very interesting discussion near the end of last class time. Determinism is actually very similar to to a philosophical idea that alot of people have claimed Vonnegut to be operating under within many of his novels. This is a fatalistic viewpoint.
Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:
- That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible.[1]This belief is very similar to predeterminism.
- That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end.[2] This belief is very similar tocompatibilist predestination.
- That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar todefeatism.
I stole that off of wikipedia. After reading this, could we discuss whether or not, based on Vonnegut’s novel The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut himself is a fatalist…