VoxVenti ::

The first 10-12 years of your life is an intensive learning period of cause-and-affect. You learn that you can’t fly, fire will burn you, ice is slippery, etc. After a while the wisdom becomes conditioned reflexes. Times goes by so fast, you glad that you remember to breathe and things just happens.

All the time you add expiration to your wisdom. You learn that less intelligent decisions and antecedent events is likely to come with consequences. Hard work is mostly required for reaching goals. Most things just happens and goes without saying. Very rarely we reflects over why things happens.

A number of years ago I was involved in complex settlement that spanned over a some time.
I started to wonder, how did I end up here? What is happening and why? How will this work out?
Is this just fate?

Around was one successful sharp person, saying that there were thing beyond our control that we could not do anything about, buy-the-ticket-take-the-ride. And others things that we could affect. He had sort black/white view on things, a fairly fatalistic view. Perhaps he used his view on this to avoid being confronted with certain things. Who knows? ;-)

When everything was settled and some time had passed. The scenario played out was quite logical. It was not fate, there was some alternatives but it was not a question of all of them being equally bad/good. One was chosen, based on wisdom and data known for the time being.

After that I started to reflect more over why things happens and cause-and-affect.
My firm belief is things just do not happen without a cause. The questions is to what degree are things bound to happen?
I came across causal determinism that made a lot of sense for me. But as for a few I realized that the strict definition is a bit tricky when it comes to prove the philosophy, especially the definition.

Every event is necessitated by antecedent events and conditions together 
with the laws of nature. 

• Every Event, what is “every event” in the universe/world. It easily and very soon becomes extremely complex. Is this even a sensible statement?
• Antecedent events, what antecedent events? All, a few and if so where is the boundary?

To prove determinism strict and mathematically easily falls apart. But does it dismiss the philosophy? I do not think so. I think it should be seen for what it is.

My Simplistic View

Thing does not happen without a cause. However it is not feasible/possible to include all parameters in the equation to predict the future events.

Some events can be predicted with extreme accuracy. When dropping a coin from a plan it will most likely fall to earth. However even that can not be fully predictable.

- A bird can snap up the coin, a thunder flash can hit the coin and vaporize it, etc.
- A intergalactic highway may be deploy and earth is blown to peaces by some Vogon development team.

By considering events and and nature laws being of significant, the outcome of an event can be fairly well understood. When dropping the coin from the plane it does not come as an surprise when the coin falls to the ground. But if it does not fall to earth it becomes a surprise for sure :-)

When dropping the coin and with the knowledge we had and considered we was of the opinion that the coin would fall to earth, but it did not so why?

Was it the fate? Was it Gods will? Was it fugazi/magic?
Neither, it was data not known or not considered. As said the whole universe, all aspects of nature laws (not even understood today) and antecedent events can not be considered.

For me there is no magic or randomness, things happens due to a cause. It is simply not possible to consider all data, it is infinite.

Even rolling a dice is predicable. It fairly simple to construct a mechanical device that roll a dice in a certain way, and almost guarantee the outcome. Of cause again we have the bird or the intergalactic highway interference.

But even these event could in theory be predicted. Given we know that there where a bird around and it saw something across the room that causes his mind to fly across the dice table just as the dice was to be rolled. etc, etc, etc.

Two of my favorite film clips related to this is Randy “Bird” Johnson baseball clip and the film Devs.

For me, free will is an illusion. There are an number of alternatives arising as a result of different causes and antecedent events (you might not even like any of them, LOL). You chose one based upon your previous experience, genes and an infinite number of other parameters that can not be included in the equation.

When large companies goes from great to bad. When you are not coming out well in an re-organisation, you win a race etc.

It’s not good or bad karma, it is not randomness, it is not magic.

Things happens due to causes that you may can/will affect.