Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.

Fate

Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' have distinct connotations. The earliest known mention of the term or its meaning is found on a document written in cuneiform script that reports on the mythical Tablet of Destinies. It probably refers to a political treaty between three groups of Sumerian gods (cf. the Epic Athra Hasis), whereby only the leader has the power to restore the things he once determined to their original state. Todays traditional usage defines fate similar: as a power or agency that predetermines (rules) the attributes of a thing or set of events positively or negatively affecting someone or a group. Other possibilities are that of an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

, to tell someone's fortune, or simply the result of chance and events. In Hellenistic civilization, the chaotic and unforeseeable turns of chance gave increasing prominence to a previously less notable goddess, Tyche (literally " Luck"), who embodied the good fortune of a city and all whose lives depended on its security and prosperity, two good qualities of life that appeared to be out of human reach. The Roman image of Fortuna, with the wheel she blindly turned, was retained by Christian writers including Boethius, revived strongly in the Renaissance, and survives in some forms today.

Western philosophy

Ancient Greek philosophy

Philosophy on the concepts of destiny and fate has existed since the Hellenistic period with groups such as the Stoics and the Epicureans. The Stoics believed that human decisions and actions ultimately went according to a divine plan devised by a god. They claimed that although humans theoretically have free will, their souls and the circumstances under which they live are all part of the universal network of fate. The Epicureans challenged the Stoic beliefs by denying the existence of this divine fate. They believed that a human's actions were voluntary so long as they were rational.

Modern philosophy

In common usage, ''destiny'' and ''fate'' are synonymous, but with regard to 19th-century philosophy, the words gained inherently different meanings. For Arthur Schopenhauer, destiny was just a manifestation of the Will to Live, which can be at the same time living fate and choice of overrunning fate, by means of the Art, of the

Morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...

and of the Ascesis. For

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

, destiny keeps the form of '' Amor fati'' (Love of Fate) through the important element of Nietzsche's philosophy, the " will to power" (der ''Wille zur Macht''), the basis of human behavior, influenced by the Will to Live of Schopenhauer. But this concept may have even other senses, although he, in various places, saw the will to power as a strong element for adaptation or survival in a better way. Nietzsche eventually transformed the idea of matter as centers of force into matter as centers of will to power as humanity's destiny to face with ''amor fati''. The expression ''Amor fati'' is used repeatedly by Nietzsche as acceptation-choice of the ''fate'', but in such way it becomes even another thing, precisely a "choice" destiny. Determinism is a philosophical concept often confused with fate. It can be defined as the notion that all intents/actions are ''causally'' determined by the culminations of an agent's existing circumstances; simply put, everything that happens is determined by things that have already happened. Determinism differs from fate in that it is never conceived as being a spiritual, religious, nor astrological notion; fate is typically thought of as being "given" or "decreed" while determinism is "caused". Influential philosophers like Robert Kane, Thomas Nagel, Roderick Chisholm, and A. J. Ayer have written about this notion.

Psychology

Among the representatives of depth psychology school, the greatest contribution to the study of the notion such as "fate" was made by Carl Gustav Jung,

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

and Leopold Szondi.

Religion

The concept of destiny, fate or causation is prominent in most religionsbut takes different forms: *The ancient Sumerians spoke of divine predetermination of the individual's destiny *In Babylonian religion, the god Nabu, as the god of writing, inscribed the fates assigned to humans by the gods of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon which included the Anunnaki who would decree the fates of humanity *Followers of Ancient Greek religion regarded not only the Moirai but also the gods, particularly Zeus, as responsible for deciding and carrying out destiny, respectively. *Some Christians believe that humans all have free will, while others believe in predestination. *In

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, fate or '' qadar'' is the decree of God. *Within

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, all phenomena (mind or otherwise) are taught as dependently arisen from previous phenomena according to universal lawa concept known as '' paṭiccasamuppāda.'' This core teaching is shared across all schools of thought, and directly informs other core concepts such as impermanence and non-self (also common to all schools of Buddhism).

Politics

Metaphorical expressions of a predetermined destiny are commonly used by politicians to describe events not understood.

Otto Von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...

said that the best a politician can do is to 'listen for God's footsteps and hang on to His coat tails'. General José de San Martín, Libertador of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, Chile and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, famously said "You will be what you must be, or you will be nothing". In '' War and Peace'', Leo Tolstoy wrote of the 'unconscious swarm-life of mankind', while Shakespeare spoke of a 'tide in the affairs of men' in his play ''Julius Caesar''.

Literature

In ancient Greece, many legends and tales teach the futility of trying to outmaneuver an inexorable fate that has been correctly predicted. This portrayal of fate is present in works such as '' Oedipus Rex'' (427 BCE), the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

,'' the '' Odyssey'' (800 BCE), and '' Theogony.'' Many ancient Chinese works have also portrayed the concept of fate, most notably the '' Liezi,'' '' Mengzi,'' and the '' Zhuangzi.'' Similarly, and in Italy, the Spanish Duque de Rivas' play that Verdi transformed into '' La Forza del Destino'' ("The Force of Destiny") includes notions of fate. In England, fate has played a notable literary role in Shakespeare's '' Macbeth'' (1606), Thomas Hardy's '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' (1891), Samuel Beckett's '' Endgame'' (1957), and W.W Jacobs' popular short story " The Monkey's Paw" (1902). In America, Thornton Wilder's book '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' (1927) portrays the conception of fate. In Germany, fate is a recurring theme in the literature of Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), including '' Siddharta'' (1922) and his magnum opus, ''Das Glasperlenspiel,'' also published as '' The Glass Bead Game'' (1943). And by Hollywood through such characters as Neo in '' The Matrix''. The common theme of these works involves a protagonist who cannot escape their destiny, however hard they try. In Neil Gaiman's graphic novel series '' The Sandman'', destiny is one of the Endless, depicted as a blind man carrying a book that contains all the past and all the future: "Destiny is the oldest of the Endless; in the Beginning was the Word, and it was traced by hand on the first page of his book, before ever it was spoken aloud."

Destiny is a frequent concept in Jorge Luis Borges' short stories and poems. In '' The Garden of Forking Paths,'' destiny is represented by a labyrinth of choices, where every possibility exists simultaneously. The protagonist later realizes his actions are predetermined as the story unfolds with an inevitable conclusion. In '' The Lottery in Babylon,'' as a metaphor for fate and chance, a secret lottery determines every aspect of life, making personal choice irrelevant. In
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'' Chess pieces move accordingly to fixed rules, symbolizing how humans follow a predetermined destiny controlled by an unseen hand. Many stories and poems by Borges also develop the idea of a destined death. In

'' an important historical figure in the history of

, who had dreamed of having a civilized and prestigious life and death, ends up being violently tracked down by "savages" and killed, but instead of lamenting his death, he dies surprisingly joyfully "finding his south american destiny". Similarly, in '' The South'', a dying man in a hospital hallucinates about having a heroic death, in which he is killed in a duel against a gaucho.