On the Comfort and Terror of Determinism — or why it might not be your fault, after all

Any power you have comes to you from far beyond. Everything is fixed, and you can't change it.
          — Jesus to Pilate in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar

There’s something both oddly comforting and deeply unsettling about determinism. On one hand, it means you're not to blame for that embarrassing thing you said in 2014. On the other, it means you might not be steering the ship at all.

Determinism, a concept that has echoed through the corridors of history, is the idea that everything — your thoughts, your choices, your Spotify Wrapped — is the inevitable result of prior causes. It's a notion that has been pondered by great minds of the past, and if we could rewind the universe and play it forward again, it would unfold exactly the same way.

This idea isn’t new. The Stoics were early champions. They believed the cosmos runs on logos — divine reason, a kind of metaphysical cause-and-effect. Their advice? Since you can’t change fate, stop complaining and accept it. Your only freedom lies in your attitude. 

Fast forward a few centuries and you get to St. Augustine, who gave determinism a Christian spin. God, he said, is outside of time and knows everything that will happen — including your eternal fate. But don't panic! According to Augustine, you still have free will — just not in any way that contradicts God's perfect foreknowledge. Imagine playing chess against an omniscient being who lets you move your pieces, but always knows the endgame.

Then comes along John Calvin, who saw divine foreknowledge and human freedom as a doctrine: predestination. You’re either chosen for salvation or you’re not. Nothing you do changes that. To modern sensibilities, it sounds like spiritual fatalism, but to Calvinists, it was a source of assurance.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" — Ephesians 2:8

Then science stepped in. The Newtonian universe was revealed as a clockwork machine, where every event had a cause, and every cause followed a law. The position of every particle and the forces acting on them could, in theory, predict the entire future. Human decisions? Just billiard balls with opinions.

But it gets more personal in the 21st century.

In "Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will," neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky makes the case that even our sense of agency is a story we tell ourselves. Our choices, he argues, are shaped by genes, hormones, trauma, socioeconomic context, brain development — you name it. By the time you think you’re making a decision, your brain has already made it.

Sapolsky isn’t being dramatic. He’s just reading the evidence. And he’s not alone. Neuroscience and psychology are revealing that human behavior is the result of a complex system of cause and effect, leaving little room for free will and autonomy.

So what do we do with this?

Rethink how we handle things like blame, punishment, and praise.

Maybe we’re not free. But that doesn’t mean life is meaningless. It might mean that our meaning lies in compassion, connection, and doing what we can with the wiring we have.

Fate guides the willing, but drags the unwilling.
       — Cleanthes

---

Further Reading: 

Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert Sapolsky 

A sweeping, humane, and sobering tour through neuroscience, genetics, psychology, and philosophy—all leading to one conclusion: free will doesn’t exist, and that should make us more compassionate, not less.

The Enchiridion by Epictetus 

A pocket-sized Stoic manual on how to live in harmony with things outside your control. Practical, wise, and surprisingly modern for a 2,000-year-old philosopher.

The City of God by St. Augustine (Books V and XIV in particular) 

A foundational Christian text where Augustine wrestles with divine omniscience and human responsibility. Dense but rewarding.

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin 

Especially Book III, which deals with predestination. If you want to see determinism dressed in theological robes, this is the place.

Freedom Evolves by Daniel Dennett A philosopher's take on how a kind of free will compatible with science might still exist—not the libertarian kind, but enough to matter. 

Bonus Thought Experiment: 

 If you want to feel your lack of agency in real time, try catching the exact moment you “decide” to scratch your nose. You’ll find the action always begins before you consciously notice. Welcome to the club. And remember, you were always going to be here. 😉

Previous

Next