A Debate Between Oedipus and Socrates on the Role of Fate

Background A very important debate that runs in our society is the role of fate in the life of a person. Many philosophers have chosen to highlight the importance of fate while many others, especially those with a scientific bent of mind, have chosen to ignore the role of fate. Many people, especially scientists, believe that fate is non-existent and that a man writes his won destiny. They believe that a man’s industry creates his fate and that there are other forces that determine the progression of his life. They cite the lives of great men and women, who had defied fate and had made a name for themselves in the society. They believe that a person must use his skills and his resources and fight against all odds to become successful in†¦show more content†¦Fate is only an imaginary belief that society and culture has bestowed on us. If we look at the origin of humans, we cans see that there was nothing like fate. Man lived his life according to instincts and completed his life cycle as his instincts told him to do so. When culture and civilizations made their mark in the world, they unfortunately also brought in a lot of limitation that has always strived to hold us back. Fate is one such belief that seeks to restrain us and keep us tied to what the society needs out of us. Oedipus: Sir, I beg to differ. The course of my life will always show you that I have lived all my life in fear of my fate. At every turn of my life, I have tried to avoid the prophecy that always hung above my head. For example, I ran away from my foster parents during my childhood years fearing that the prophecy of killing my father and marrying my mother would become true. And look what happened. Fate eventually took me to my parents and with the help of my ill-fated luck I fought and won against my own father whom I killed. Worse, fate made me marry my mother and mad me to beget my children from her. What other than fate could conquer the mighty Oedipus who had the world under his feet? What would not have I conquered if there was nothing like fate? Why did fate make me commit the grossest sins in the world? Even after I committed those sins why did fate make those facts publicShow MoreRelatedFate and Destiny7886 Words   |  32 Pages26-FEB-07 9:49 Fate and Destiny: Some Historical Distinctions between the Concepts Richard W. Bargdill Saint Francis University Abstract There has been a great deal of attention given to the â€Å"free will versus determinism† debate. However, little attention has been paid to the most common expressions from this controversy—people’s everyday experience of fate and destiny. In fact, fate and destiny are terms that are often used as synonyms as if there were no differences between the two words. ThisRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesor goal. In this sense, humans are free to choose their own destiny.   * is a philosophical term which asserts that there is a distinction between essential and non-essential (contingent or accidental) characteristics of an object. Essentialism assumes that objects have essences and that an object’s identity is its essence. Aristotle distinguished between an object’s essence and its existence. Its essence is â€Å"what a thing is.† Its essence is â€Å"that a thing is.† An object’s essence is the collectionRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 PagesChapter 6 deals with the nature of man. Starting from the premise that man is a microcosm, the author opens with an enumeration of the characteristics which make man superior to all other creatures (pp 40-41). He then gives the familiar correspondences between the parts of the human body and those of the macrocosm. Though at first there are only reminiscences of the lhwà ¢n al-Safà ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, we soon find whole pages together which are identical with t hat work, and, in part, with the work edited by Goldziher as TheRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSupplement C Conducting Meetings 651 Appendix I Glossary 673 Appendix II References 683 Name Index 705 Subject Index 709 Combined Index 713 iii This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface xvii INTRODUCTION 1 3 THE CRITICAL ROLE OF MANAGEMENT SKILLS The Importance of Competent Managers 6 The Skills of Effective Managers 7 Essential Management Skills 8 What Are Management Skills? 9 Improving Management Skills 12 An Approach to Skill Development 13 Leadership and Management