The doctrine of determinism states that events and human actions are the necessary results of, or determined by, antecedent causes. By “antecedent causes” is meant “earlier or previous events or actions of similar nature”. We often speak about cause and effect, reciprocal actions and of there being no smoke without fire, all of which point to a definite law which has to do with regulation of human actions.
Human actions should be understood to include speech, volition or thoughts, in addition to visible actions of all kinds. Having been endowed with a free will as a right or freedom which goes with personal responsibility, human beings can use it according to individual volition. For purposes of enhancement of consciousness, learning and maturing, every individual is meant to experience life in every ramifications. We learn best through experiences.
The cliché that one thing leads to another means that there is a systematic movement in the scheme of things. What we call the beginning of an event or action is usually not an absolute starting point, but a phase in an inter-locking movement, similar to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. For example, a child’s existence cannot be said to begin the day the child was born, for there must have been antecedent causes prior to the birth. Hardly is there any accident, in reality.
As people grow and mature through series of experiences, coupled with the use of the free will, there are bound to be errors and wrong actions here and there. Antecedent causes of such wrong actions can arise from ignorance, negligence and abuse of the free will. Such errors and abuses constitute burdens of guilt or imbalances, which must be restored and balanced during some period of grace.
An action, inaction or reaction of an individual is usually not the beginning of the chain of antecedents but should be interpreted in the context of cause and effect. Series of actions, giving rise to series of effects, constitute a chain or continuum, whereby what appears to be a new action or effect, is in reality a matter arising from an old, distant issue. So many facts interact in the events of life or affairs of men.
Unfortunately, no individual can see the chain of antecedent causes because they lie beyond normal memory or perception. But there are watchers and weavers overseeing the affairs of humans, and individuals through their thoughts, words and deeds provide the materials for what is woven for them in the loom of life. No one can cheat in reality!
The doctrine of determinism has to do with the concept of Providence, which means that the Will of the creator, operating in the form of Natural Laws, rules the World. No one is in a position to annull or modify them, however mighty or clever such person or authority. Thus, the well-being of all creatures is conditioned and determined by these laws, one of which is referred to as Reciprocal Actions.
An exact knowledge of these laws is the most urgent need of every human being, because, human well-being depends on such knowledge. Man must not only adapt his thinking, volition and deeds to these laws, but his well-being depends on them, to which he must submit unconditionally.
Unfortunately, majority of humans know little or nothing about the working of the Natural Laws. It is not quite a calamity for humans to err through ignorance, negligence or even deliberately, but what is important is the ability to learn through the effects of these laws. The purpose of penalty for errors is to force human beings to learn and change voluntarily. Through such penalty and the attendant pains, we can recognize evil and learn to embrace what is right and up-building.
Through proper recognition, observance and fulfillment of what the laws demand of us, we would be in a better position to release ourselves from the burdens of antecedent causes. There is more to life than the material successes and goals which the majority of humans scramble, hustle and die for. Rather than reduce the load of antecedent causes pending against us as humans, we add more burdens!
Fatalism, which is another version of determinism, suggests that “what will be, will be” and that there is nothing anyone can do to prevent events from happening. Simply interpreted, it means that the will of the creator, operating as Natural Laws, cannot be annulled or evaded, as they are inexorable. Everyone gets the result of what is woven or ripens for him or her in the looms and weavings of the laws. No one can do anything about this fact, except to know, respect and obey the Natural Laws.
Dr. Amirize is a retired lecturer at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.