No matter what we do....we cannot control our destiny. we are destined to do certain things...fate can step in and put us in situations...but our destiny is out of our control....Just like Charlies death is out of Desmonds control....

Thanks *MOD edited**.

I take it you dont get it...

Would you like me to explain the different philosophical views in play here tonight>>>???

It depends on what you believe. I, for one, don't necessarily believe in "Fate." I believe that we control the outcomes of our lives. Although Locke, Eko, and Desmond don't seem to think so...

Thanks Captain obvious.

I recommend reading the site rules...especially the part about being rude to other posters. If you have nothing to add other than an insult..please move along.

I think that fate must allow you to make your own choices...so the fact that you make your own choices is fate. It's destiny that you get to decide. I dunno. It's quite paradoxical.

Fate vs free will.....:39:
Here's how I understand it - the choices we make in life determine how we will end up...but God knows in advance which choices we will make. So that constitutes fate.

I think that we got a very important message from TPTB here. Desmond has basiclly answered the question that has been defying us since the beginning. Were they destined to be together as a group of Losties? No, it was their fate. Their fate was to bring them to the island.

I like this idea. I'm on board.

No matter what we do....we cannot control our destiny. we are destined to do certain things...fate can step in and put us in situations...but our destiny is out of our control....Just like Charlies death is out of Desmonds control....

I would like to convince that you have fate and destiny mixed up.

Fate has to do with what you were born into. Take the circumstances surrounding birth i.e.) family structure, place on earth etc ... that's fate.

And destiny, is more forward looking --- what you will become. As heraclitus said, "destiny is character." You are destined to be ...

I believe that given fate, which you have no control of (at least not that anyone can remember) it is much more likely that we have control over our destiny.

Anywho --- this may be neither here nor there.

this makes me think of juliet's quote in s03e01... when they're discussing her choice of "carrie" for their book club and she says something along the lines of:

"as if free will still existed"

they implant so many subversive ideas in their dialogue it's insane! heck, just in this episode alone! for example, when desmond doesn't get the job from her father.... IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, DESMOND!

Fate vs free will.....:39:
Here's how I understand it - the choices we make in life determine how we will end up...but God knows in advance which choices we will make. So that constitutes fate.

ive heard many people say this, but is never mad much sense to me.
if god knows in advance the choices we will make, then we have no choice at all because the idea is god is all knowing therefore, you can not make a choice other than the one he already knew youd make.

really it sounds mostly like religious jargon.

Fate is the result of your choices. Destiny is what happens in spite of all choices. Fate can be changed depending on what you choose to do. Destiny is an unavoidable conclusion.

No...it constitutes destiny...God brings about our fate...something higher makes us walk the walk.....but the walk is our fate...Our destiny is controlled by us and our decisions as to where exactly we are going to take our next step.

I also beleive that we think we have free will....but in actuality we already know our destiny and make our decisions based upon our subconscience knowing...

This opinion is all mine..based on my experiences in life...lol

If you choose to cross the street, your fate is to get to the other side as long as nothing interferes. If you get hit by a bus while crossing, that is your destiny. I believe that your fate can be controlled by you, and sometimes by forces beyond your control. Destiny is a preset destination. The whole concept of destiny is that you have no control over it. Fate is the consequence of your actions.

Well, once you've made a choice, there's no way to prove that you ever COULD have made the other choice... and even if you could prove it, you couldn't change the choice you had made anyway so why would it matter whether you did have a choice or not. Maybe you'll have a choice to make tomorrow, but as far as your day-after-tomorrow self is concerned, no such choice exists anymore. Free will only exists up until the point in time (oh boy, the T word) that the choice was made.

Assuming that predestination does exist, though, time travel (to the past anyway) is the only way any person could ever beat or betray it, and that would be one serious war.

Fate is the result of your choices. Destiny is what happens in spite of all choices. Fate can be changed depending on what you choose to do. Destiny is an unavoidable conclusion.

Actually fate and destiny are synonyms of each other. The dictionary defines destiny as something that is to happen or has happened, your lot or fortune, the predetermined course of events. It defines fate the same way, something that unavoidly befalls a person. The main theme for both is that they are predestined, not much you can do to change it. Free will on the other hand is defined as the doctrine that the conduct of human beings express personal choice and are not simply determined by physical or divine forces. The question this episode presents, imo, is will the losties' free will be strong enough to win out over their lot in life, their fate and destiny.

I recently had an experience that put me in a place where I knew I was supposed to be..everything was timed right to the tee...and I had nothing to do with it..it was fate. My destiny was not my fate however, as I chose to make the decisions about where I was to go next with my experience. I wont post it all in a pubic forum but although synonyms of each other defined by webster, they are still different entities by proof of my experience.


Now with many new threads popping up about is this one or that one destined to die...so many people are talking about destiny. The time old question remains. Philosphers have debated this fate vs destiny question for centuries. I wonder where TPTB are going to take this...