Sunday, November 9, 2014
During my reading of both of the stories I noticed a similar theme throughout, and that is the choices we make. In Steven Hawking's writing he ask the question, "are we really masters of our fate? Or is everything we do determined or preordained?". He later then answers the question that everything is predetermined but in the end it doesn't matter because in the end we do not know what was determined. He also asked the question about whether people are to be held responsible for their actions/crimes? In the determinist view of things people shouldn't be held responsible because their decisions weren't made by themselves. I don't agree with this point of view to be correct. If this were the case then people shouldn't be rewarded for performing righteous actions either. While reading the "The Ten Virgins" the ten virgins were divided into two groups of 5. One group took spare oil with their lamps and the other did not. When the second group left to buy they missed out on what the wise group got to attend. "The Ten Talents" had a very similar meaning. The one person that did nothing with his given talent was made to suffer instead of prosper as did the people who used their talents to produce more. This is the same as in the real world. If someone doesn't use what they are given or work for their future they will in turn suffer for their actions or their lack of. I don't think the world we live in is predetermined. I believe we make our own path. Therefore I also believe we will reap the benefits or the consequences of the actions we act on. In this sense the readings are different in that the second the people are held accountable for their actions and the second describes how people shouldn't be.
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I agree with your point of view of how the texts fit together and go in the same direction. People may say that that everything is already determined and that they can't be held responsible; but your view that you determine your own fate and you are responsible for your own decisions makes more sense. Because of the choice to not bring extra oil the virgins missed out on a opportunity; you talk about how those who don't us what they are given will suffer for their lack of actions. But in my opinion there probably would be cases that the people wouldn't even know that they were suffering because they didn't know what they were missing and just went on with their lives normally. I believe also that we make our own path and should be responsible for the choices we make; and even though we may not know what is to come of using our given talent we should strive to us it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said that if people don't use their own actions, then they will not prosper. I do think some parts in life are predetermined, as far as a path or a road to do the right things, but it is up to us to make a complete stop or turn left or right on it. We have to take part in our own actions some way, not everything in life comes to you, sometimes we must go out and get it. The example of the Ten Virgins is interesting because even though God gave them something to do, only the ones who were wise enough to go out of their way and get extra oil for their lamps were rewarded. They took action and did what they had to do so that they wouldn't be in the position the other five foolish virgins were. Free will is at our hand and I believe it helps when we choose our paths, although I also believe that no matter what turns we take, we'll end up at the same spot we were destined to land on.
ReplyDeleteThe readings are similar in the fact that they both discuss the importance of free will and begs the question of does it really exist. In the “Parables of the Kingdom” there is one particular parable called “The Prodigal Son” the story of a man and his two sons is introduced. The man “divides unto them his living”, after this one of the sons continues to stay with his father and work in his field while the other one decides to go off into the world, ends up spending all of his money, and when a famine comes about is living in poverty. The son decides to go back home and beg his father for forgiveness of his sins and ask to be one of his servants so that he may have some food to live on. When the son comes back the father rejoices and says “my son, was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found”. The son was free to make the choices he desired, he left and then made the decision to come home, even though he had made mistakes he had the free will to do so. The topic of free will is also present in “Is Everything Determined” by Stephen Hawking. Hawking introduces the concept of the predetermination of our lives and the belief some people have in the idea that “God was omnificent and outside of time” and poses of the question of “how then could we have free will?” If God knows everything we are going to do and has a set plan for our lives where in that does free will lie.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that both readings are about the choices we makes and whether or not these choices are predetermined. In the reading “Is Everything Determined?”, the author conveys a sense of skepticism in the fact that is free will actually a real thing. Often people tend to use religion or just the idea that there is some bigger plan that has already laid out all the events in our life’s and this is why Stephen Hawking questions if we have any control in our life’s. Other questions arising when questioning this like, anything we say is already determined and that this theory is to compact, elegant, and mathematical for it to fit everyone. It’s said in religious books, even in the Constitution it states that that we have “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion” the definition of free will. In “Parables of the Kingdom”, it shows different examples of how we are given situations that we have multiple ways of going about it. It the story about the Ten Virgins and The Prodigal Son it shows two different ways you could have gone about doing things, stating that we have choice on how we live our life. And based on these choices decides how your outcome will be, sometimes ending positively and other times ending negatively. Both readings convey that the choices we make determine our future, but were they differ is if its predetermined or if we solely control our lives.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "Is Everything Determined?" by Stephen Hawking and "Parables of the Kingdom" by Jesus I came to the understanding that there are many similarities and differences between the two articles in the ways that they express their world views and try to make sense of it. Hawking presents a question at the beginning asking “are we really masters of our fate? Or is everything we do determined and preordained?” This helps gain the understanding that Hawking is in a dilemma about human actions and the consequences that lead up to them. He does not really take a stance as to whether or not there is something divine in the world. This is contrasted in “The Ten Virgins” where the virgins go on to wait for the divine because they have to “watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein he Son of man cometh.” This helps to show their fixed belief that God exists. Hawking poses the question that “if we don’t have free will, how can we be responsible for our actions? It can hardly be one’s fault if one has been preordained to rob a bank. So why should one be punished for it?” This is closely paralleled in “The Ten Talents” where the servant who did not do anything with his talent (Middle Eastern Coin) was given punishment and cast into darkness. Although it is not his fault because his action was predetermined he was still punished for not doubling or tripling his talent. I believe that whatever is destined for one to achieve they do. Everything is predestined but the actions to get to the achievement are left for one to decide. This is why I believe that punishment is necessary for the bad and a reward is necessary for the good.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you to a certain extent. I do believe that it is up to us to as you say, "make a path" for ourselves. We have to consciously make choices and decisions that in turn will carve out a future. Just like in "The Ten Virgins", all the virgins made a choice, conscious or not, whether or not they would bring oil, and indirectly chose their fate. The five virgins who didn't bring oil just reaped the consequences for their lack of preparedness. Which brings me to the point of being punished or rewarded for your actions. I believe that this is inevitable. People are going to be punished or honored for their actions because it is just simple human nature. For example, in "The Ten Talents" story each person got what they deserved, meaning that each person chose their own fate, which means they chose their own consequences. Just like in our world, everyone is accountable for their actions, and whether they know the outcome or not, it is going to happen. I believe that we do make our own paths, but I also believe that it is up to us which path we take. I'm not saying that everything in our lives are set in stone, but I think there are many paths for us. Sometimes people wonder "What if", and I think that that notion is what can change our path. Maybe a sixth virgin could have met the bridegroom, if only she brought spare oil and if she did, she might have been inside the gates. In other words, our fates aren't necessarily predetermined, but I think that it is up to us to choose what "path" we take to our destination.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both readings are similar regarding about what direction they take. They both they understand the world views and express their opinion to try and make sense of it. The one topic they both state is the power of "Free will." In "Is Everything is Determined," Stephen Hawking talks about predetermination and that "are we really masters of our fate? Or is everything we do determined and preordained?" In this quote Stephen Hawking is talking about whether we control our own lives or if everything we do is already set and we have no control over. Which Hawking is in a dilemma about human actions and the consequences that lead up to him. Hawking does really have a stance on which side he leans towards, but i believe we make our own decisions. Just like in "The Ten Virgins," the virgins made the choice, whether or not they would bring oil, incidentally chose their fate. Half of the virgins who didn't bring oil were punished for their lack of willingness to help. Everyone in this world is punished and rewarded for their actions, because were not perfect, we're only human so we don't always choose the best decision. As a result I believe we make our own decisions and choose the "path" we decide is best for us because we are in control of our own lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all accounts. Both of these passages discuss whether our lives and destinies are predetermined or not. The author of "Is Everything Determined?" presents his whole ordeal about how our lives are not actually our lives to live, because the events of the future have already been set into motion just by how we are currently living our day to day lives. In "The Ten Virgins," we see an example of how people believe in a greater power to guide them towards the path for their lives. They look to science, religion, math, whatever helps make more sense of it all. But the problem with that is that whenever they commit a crime, they back it up by saying that they had no control over it. Thus reoccurring the argument of is our life predetermined or not? Both of these authors discuss this, but they also see it in two completely different view points. The truth is that whether our lives are predetermined or not, we have control over our lives right here and now, no matter what you think.
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