A fatalist is a subject who believes in the inevitability and inevitability of every action, that everything is determined by fate. In other words, he believes that his whole life is predetermined and nothing depends on the decision of the person himself. A fatalist is an individual who believes in fate, the irrevocability of fate, who always relies on the fatal predetermination of our every action. Thus, fatalists categorically reject the individual’s free will and flee from responsibility for their actions. A fatalist is a person who blindly follows the evil fate that all events are predetermined from above long before birth, and in the present time they can only find their expression.
Who is a fatalist?
A fatalist is a person who believes in the predestination of significant events and the inevitability of fate. Usually this is a religious or very superstitious person, relying on a higher power in everything. He believes that he can have only a small influence on what happens to him, and all important events in his life are destined by fate. Fatalists believe in predictions, prophecies and omens, and tend to see the influence of fate (fate) in everything.
Belief in fate appeared at the dawn of human civilization, when the first religions arose. People liked to believe in divine predestination. And this belief has not weakened for thousands of years, despite the rapid development of society, enlightenment and scientific and technological progress. Even today, most people continue to share this worldview, believing that their lives are predetermined and that they themselves can influence only minor everyday events.
The most famous literary character associated with the word “fatalist” is, of course, Grigory Pechorin, a key character in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” by Mikhail Lermontov. He is arrogant, cynical and cold-blooded, often demonstrating courage and calmly risking his life because he believes that everyone will die only when they are destined to.
From a psychological point of view, fatalism can have a beneficial effect on the psyche, mitigating the stress of experienced troubles. It is very difficult for a person to admit mistakes that led to significant losses. But if he believes that the trouble that happened was prepared by fate, it is much easier for him to come to terms with it.
What leads to a fatal perception of the world
Whether a person will become a fatalist depends on his upbringing and further ups and downs of life. If the parents were very protective of the child, not allowing him to solve difficult situations on his own, then he will not gain life experience and will not be able to solve problems that arise.
When he grows up, he will listen more to the opinions of others, and not be guided by his own, because he has been accustomed to this since childhood. Naturally, in such a situation it will be very easy to attribute everything to fate (fatum, inevitable fate).
Low self-esteem, which could be formed from the influence of various factors, can also lead to fatal behavior. For example, from disrespect in the family and among peers to the presence of a defect that created an inferiority complex. It is easier for a person who is unsure of his own abilities to let his life go to the mercy of fate.
Portrait of a Fatalist
To sum it up, this is someone who:
- thinks that everything around is predetermined, and the series of events is not a coincidence;
- has a pessimistic mindset because problems cannot be avoided with a passive approach;
- does not believe in his own capabilities and strengths, because fate is stronger;
- does not take responsibility for everything that happens to him (evil fate);
- often superstitious - believes in horoscopes and other predictions, since it has already been formed somewhere.
It turns out that this is my portrait, but for some reason I don’t perceive myself in such a black color. Anyway.
Signs of a Fatalist
To better understand who a fatalist is, let's consider his most typical traits. As we have already found out, he completely relies on fate. This can manifest itself in different ways, but most often it is characterized by the following behavioral features:
1. Denial of responsibility
. A fatalist is a person who believes that he has virtually no influence on his own destiny, and any significant events occur in his life only because it was destined to be so.
2. Belief in fortune telling and omens
. People have always been worried about their future, so thousands of signs were invented, and such a craft as fortune telling spread throughout the world.
3. Pessimism
. Fatalists are more likely to believe in negative scenarios than positive ones, and are more often than not pessimists.
4. Lack of self-confidence
. If a person does not believe that he is able to influence his destiny, he develops the belief that little depends on him at all.
5. Disbelief in random events
. A fatalist does not believe in accidents. If an event is predetermined, it must happen. And if something unlikely happened, it was only because it had to happen.
How to deal with a fatalist?
The fatalist can be perceived as he is, or you can try to remake him. In the first case, he will feel comfortable, and in the second, he will most likely turn on psychological defense. But through reasonable and logical arguments, he can be gradually re-educated. For example, explain that bad omens are a figment of human imagination. Or prove that persistence can achieve more than passivity. It is better to demonstrate this by your own example, or the biography of someone who enjoys authority with him.
If fatalism borders on pessimism, then communicating with such a person will be more difficult. He not only believes in the predetermined nature of the future, but is also convinced of the negativity of upcoming events. This phenomenon occurs not only among individuals. A number of sects promote the end of the world, which is why tens, hundreds and even thousands of their followers live in a state of apathy. Contacting them is not only unpleasant, but sometimes even dangerous.
Pros and cons of a fatalist
Based on the above, you may get the impression that being a fatalist is bad. However, people with this type of thinking also have quite pronounced advantages that greatly simplify their lives. The main advantage is that their psyche is not burdened with worries about their own mistakes. He immediately shifts responsibility for all failures to some external forces, and perceives all positive events with gratitude.
In contrast to this advantage, three significant disadvantages of fatalists can be identified:
1. Tendency to give up quickly
. A fatalist does not believe that perseverance helps achieve a goal. Therefore, when faced with the first failure, he often immediately stops trying.
2. Poor preparation for important events
. A famous Latin proverb says: “Victory loves preparation” (Amat victoria curam). There are many examples in history when great and successful commanders lost wars, believing that they were protected by an influential deity, and all battles would certainly be successful.
3. Superstition
. This character trait creates a lot of problems for the fatalist himself and his loved ones. He can change plans and give up important things if he had a “prophetic dream” or a cat crossed the road. In addition, fatalists often become victims of scammers who willingly take advantage of their superstitions.
Is it good or bad to be a fatalist?
At first glance, it’s bad. On the second one too. But, if you take a closer look, life is not so difficult for a fatalist, which allows us to talk about some advantages of this type of thinking.
Advantages of Fatalists
A person with a fatalistic outlook is much less nervous compared to those who shoulder the burden of responsibility. He subconsciously shifts the blame for all his failures and failures onto external forces. Such a person prefers to adapt rather than fight circumstances. Psychologically, this is calming because it removes the active role and any responsibility from the person.
Those who perceive all events that happen with gratitude are less likely to become depressed. This is where fatalism wins over proactivity. But, probably, only this. In all other respects, such thinking makes a person passive and helpless, unable to withstand any difficulties.
Disadvantages of Fatalists
First of all, a fatalist very often gives up in a situation that is, in principle, solvable. Instead of showing a little persistence, he simply backs down. Thus, giving victory to someone else. On the contrary, one who shows determination, methodically following the intended route, is able to achieve success even in an initially losing situation.
Secondly, the fatalist’s unshakable confidence in his future can play a cruel joke on him and his circle. History is full of examples of people who hoped for a happy ending and were not properly prepared at the crucial moment, for which they paid dearly. Among them are the ancient Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, the Swedish king Gustav III, the Dutch director Theodore Van Gogh and many others.
The third drawback of fatalists is related to their superstition. Since they are convinced of the predestination of the future, they try with all their might to find out about it, often becoming victims of swindlers. Perhaps there are soothsayers who show phenomenal accuracy of predictions, but, nevertheless, the bulk of them turn out to be charlatans. The latter live at the expense of the fatalists, sometimes instilling in them absolutely reckless speculation.
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Why do people become fatalists?
If you correctly understand who a fatalist is, then it is already obvious to you that fatalism is not in the genes. This worldview is formed in a person in the process of upbringing, growing up and gaining certain life experiences. Most often, the reasons for the formation of fatalism are factors such as:
1. Beliefs ingrained in childhood
. Any child is inclined to take on faith what adults say. Often the beliefs laid down by parents, educators or teachers persist into adulthood. Therefore, children of superstitious or religious parents often become fatalists when they grow up.
2. Overprotection from parents
. Such parenting tactics almost always lead to the child growing up irresponsible. It is difficult for him to accept that responsibility for his own life lies with him. It’s better to attribute your mistakes to fate (read more about overprotection in this article).
3. Low self-esteem
. A person who does not believe in his own strengths tends to rely on fate and blame circumstances for his own failures.
4. Negative events
. Severe stress can break a person and make him weak-willed. And if a person does not believe in himself, he also relies entirely on fate.
5. Events that a person perceives as a “miracle”
. As mentioned above, people sometimes face serious troubles. But all troubles end one day, and at such a moment a person may form the conviction that some higher powers are protecting him.
Fatalist: several shades of worldview
Not all fatalists believe in fate the same way. The beliefs of these people can be divided according to the following criteria:
- Everyday fatalism.
Subjects subject to it blame those around them and hostile higher powers for ordinary troubles and stress. Stress in them causes aggression directed outward. They often believe in damage and the evil eye;
Theological fatalism.
According to followers of this trend, everything in the world is divine. Everyone fulfills the program that God laid in him. And life on Earth has a grand plan in which people are just cogs;
Logical fatalism.
Differs from the two above in its belief in a cause-and-effect relationship. The role of God here is played by the reasons that served as the impetus for the chain of events that occurred.Logical fatalism has its origins in Ancient Greece. This is exactly the philosophy Democritus adhered to. Many modern people are logical fatalists, also rejecting the possible spontaneity of the events that happen to them.
The origin and history of fatalism
Above, we considered fatalism mainly as an individual worldview, formed in a person under the influence of certain circumstances. But fatalism is a belief system that has existed and developed over many centuries. It is generally believed to have originated in Ancient Rome, a civilization with an elaborate and well-structured polytheistic religion.
Fatum in ancient Roman mythology was the personification of fate. The ancient Romans believed that the fate of a person was determined by special deities - Veils. Ancient Greek mythology also described deities responsible for the fate of people - Moira. Other ancient religions also placed great emphasis on fate, prophecy, and destiny. But it was the Romans and Greeks who were the first to identify fatalism as a separate belief system.
All modern religions have the concept of retribution for good and bad deeds. This is also a type of fatalism, since the essence of such beliefs is that a person’s future is determined in advance, and having committed certain actions, he will no longer be able to avoid retribution. In addition, almost all religions describe the “End of the World” in great detail. It is interesting that most religions have a negative attitude towards everyday prophecies and fortune-telling (and perhaps for good reason).
All kinds of soothsayers, fortune tellers and astrologers skillfully exploit the tendency of most people towards fatalism. And a completely modern person with a good education can order an individual horoscope, believing that the movement of Jupiter somehow predetermines his fate. And the reason is not that he is not able to think rationally. For him, this is an excellent opportunity to shift responsibility for his own life to fate and not waste emotional energy on doubts and worries.
What is fatalism?
The history of fatalism in modern times is connected with the history of the deterministic approach. This approach is most clearly expressed in the philosophy of rigid determinism, the prominent representatives of which were Spinoza and Leibniz.
Fatalism, in connection with determinism, asserts causality, which is caused by the actions of the universe. That is, fatalism, in simple words, says that the laws of the universe cannot be circumvented, even if something seems unfair to a person, he wants to change it, then his desire is in vain and cannot be realized, since it is impossible to go against the course of the universe.
Spinoza believed that an individual person is only a speck of dust in the universe, so it makes no sense to expect a speck of dust to take upon itself courage and be able to control itself.
Fatalism, what is it in simple words? Fatalism can be described by a single word - fate. This vision in the most vivid format can also be traced in the philosophy of the Stoics - a direction born during the period of decline, decline of ancient Greek philosophy, the crossroads of ancient Greek and already Roman ideas. The Stoics believed that one must submit to fate - one’s fate, which haunts everyone, and one cannot refuse it.
The Stoics came up with a very vivid comparison that evokes vivid reactions in the imagination: “The one who walks is led by fate, but the one who resists is dragged with hooks.” Such hooks are naturally shown in the film “The Passion of the Christ” - they are a stick with several leather ropes tied to it, with a hook attached to the end of each. During flagellation, such hooks are driven under the skin, tearing out pieces of meat from the human body.
The meaning of this phrase, which is used by the Stoics, is extremely simple: every person’s destiny is already written, life is completely and completely predetermined, it is impossible and meaningless to change an event in this predetermined course. Then everything depends only on our attitude: whether to treat the blows of fate lightly, calmly, dispassionately, to accept it completely, even to the point of apathy and indifference to it, or to fight and be unhappy.
What does it mean to submit to fate? This is not to interfere with the order of things that we observe. The Stoics believe that a person will, in any case, follow a fateful path, but the only question is how he will go: quickly and easily, even using the help of fate, or being dissatisfied with it, with great obstacles and problems.
Theological fatalism
Theological fatalism refers to the influence of an omnipotent deity on all processes occurring on earth. Fatalism of fate, in a theological sense, means that everything was initially predetermined by God, who distributes and writes destinies. With this type of fatalism, people susceptible to this opinion try to find support for their actions, referring to an already predetermined fate. In addition, adherents of this opinion are trying to give their lives some meaning - everything that happened in their lives is not an accident and was predetermined from the very beginning.
Theological fatalism divides adherents into two camps:
- Those who believe in the concept of absolute predestination (Augustinism, Calvinism, Jansenism).
- Those in whose ideas free will is combined with fate (Catholicism, Orthodoxy).
According to the first group, God, even before the birth of each person, wrote the script of their life, and also distributed the souls of those who would go to hell, and, conversely, those who would go to heaven. Adherents of this opinion completely deny human free will and responsibility for his actions.
Theological fatalism in philosophy is a phenomenon that applies to almost all religions, but in some of them, in particular Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the issue of such strict selection is considered from a different point of view. These teachings say that each person is free to decide for himself what to do, and on the basis of his choice it will be decided whether his soul will be saved in heaven or go to hell. However, if we take the complete history of Christianity, then its entire concept is deeply fatalistic, since the future is already prescribed in the Apocalypse.
Meaning of the word fatal
They were hunted from horseback, and when the exhausted and wounded animal was driven into a corner from where it could not escape, someone had to dismount and deal a fatal blow with this ax.
Why are teenagers, who have almost never encountered life and have not yet had time to become disillusioned with it, since they did not have enough time to experience it, so inclined to take a fatal step, to voluntarily cross a mysterious and ominous line?
When the fatal outcome seemed inevitable, the engines turned on again, shaking the ship with overloads of several g.
In classical onasm, the future fate of G is unenviable and has two possible outcomes - pessimistic and fatal.
People are multiplying so quickly that, unless something exceptional happens, the fatal moment is getting closer and closer when the expanded humanity will cover the entire globe, like solid caviar from human heads!
And again, we mean not only their current state, but also the history of science, that is, cuneiform Babylonian arithmetic; incinerated, extinct images of the universe - both Chaldean and Egyptian; Ptolemyism and Einsteinianism, matrix and patrix calculus, the algebra of tensors and groups, methods of firing vases in the Ming Dynasty, the machines of Lilienthal, Hieronymus, Leonardo, the disastrous balloon of Salomon Andre and the airship of General Nobile (the fact that during the Nobile expedition there were cases of cannibalism, has a special and deep meaning for the reader, for Hannahan’s novel can be likened to the point at which some fatal weight fell into the water and disturbed its surface; and the circles of waves, concentrically diverging further and further from the “Gigamesh”, turn out to be “everything” human existence on Earth, starting with Homo Javanensis [Javanese man (lat.)] and Paleopithecus).
The price of a war that was impossible to win was the humiliation of the most powerful military power in the world, a fatal failure in the operation of a complex mechanism called the System and the moral decay of the army.
From the moment I first stepped onto the paved path leading to her peeling little house, which stood on a small hill, like on chicken legs, I entered some kind of fatal, enigmatic and silent world.
Symbolically, one could say that in the year 399 BC, on the day of Socrates' hemlock, the West chose the fatal path.
The fifth type of supernova explosions, which includes thirty-three percent of observations, in other words, one third of them - this fatal fifth type can only be interpreted unambiguously: as a result of the instantaneous destruction of certain planetary bodies - planets similar to our Earth.
Lifestyle and beliefs of a fatalist
To define the lifestyle and beliefs of a fatalist, we first turn to the classification of this phenomenon. Fatalism can be:
- Bytovym. Adherents of this worldview blame any troubles only on higher powers that have taken up arms against them for something. Often people who have been exposed to a lot of trouble in a short period of time and are in a state of stress sincerely believe this. It happens that this goes away over time, but some people adhere to this point of view for the rest of their lives.
- Theological. Supporters of this worldview are confident that any events occurring on Earth are predetermined. In their opinion, in heaven there is something like a “book of destinies”, where the life of every person and the planet itself is written, and it is no longer possible to change anything.
- Logical. Fatalists of this type include philosophers who try to find a cause-and-effect relationship in all events. In other words, these people are looking for, if not entirely scientific, then at least not too mystical justification for the opinion that everything is predetermined in advance.
Taking into account the above, we can conclude that a fatalist of any type is characterized by the role of a passive observer of life, not trying, as in Andrei Makarevich’s song, to take action so that “the world bends under us.” They are submissive to their fate and simply go with the flow, and one of the most unpleasant qualities of such individuals is that they do not want to take responsibility for their own actions, citing a fatal coincidence of circumstances.
How to recognize a character trait in a person
Recognizing a fatalist in a new acquaintance is not so difficult if you observe this person for some time. There are “mandatory” character traits that are inherent in all individuals of this type:
- Denial of one's own importance. Such a person feels powerless before events and fate, and will never try to change his life for the better.
- Lack of self-confidence. This trait is a continuation of the first, when the fatalist prefers not to fight the prevailing circumstances.
- Reluctance to bear responsibility. Such people consider themselves only an instrument in the hands of fate, and motivate all their actions by the fact that fate has turned out this way.
- Disbelief in chance. It is impossible for a fatalist to prove that this or that event is just a coincidence. They are confident in the predestination and prescription of everything that happens around them.
- Superstition. Such people study numerology and horoscopes and believe in omens. If, for example, a black cat crosses the path of a fatalist on his way to study or work, then the animal he met will be to blame for all the troubles that happened to him that day.
In other words, a fatalist makes his life meaningless and belittles his own importance. He is confident in his powerlessness in the face of circumstances and does not try to fight or defend his interests.
Fatalism today
This worldview was especially widespread in the early stages of the development of society. Now it is not so popular for several reasons. Firstly, many philosophers do not recognize the influence of so-called fate on creative processes. It is believed that the process of creation cannot be a predetermined event. Art, music, literature - all this is created spontaneously, under the influence of insight and inspiration. Therefore, it is an insult for any creative person to attribute all his results to fate.
Secondly, science. Every scientific discovery was influenced by hundreds of different factors and accidents, and the chance that all inventions are just planned events is too mystical and incredible. And even if scientific discoveries develop according to the written script, then any decisions in a person’s life become only an illusion of choice.
Fatalism in history: examples
Despite their submission to fate, fatalists can achieve certain heights in life. A striking example of this are the stories of such outstanding personalities:
- Gaius Julius Caesar. The ancient Roman commander and politician was warned of the danger that threatened him. He was informed more than once that a conspiracy was brewing around him. And on the day of Caesar's death, his wife had a dream in which he was killed by several men. The woman told her husband about this and persuaded him to take action, but the commander firmly believed in his lucky star. On the same day he was killed by attackers, among whom was his pupil Brutus.
- Gustav ⅠⅠⅠ. This Swedish king, 2 weeks before the tragic events, received an anonymous letter, where he was warned about the impending danger, and even named the date of the assassination attempt. But the crown bearer ignored this information, and on the designated day, March 29, 1792, he went to a masked ball held at the Royal Opera House. They shot him there. And although a bullet fired from a pistol by guard captain Jacob Ankarström hit Gustav in the leg, 13 days later he died of blood poisoning.
- Theodore Van Gogh. This popular filmmaker made a short film, Submission, which condemned the treatment of women in Islam. As one might expect, his work aroused discontent among certain sections of the population, and the director began to receive threats. The police convinced Theodore that he needed protection, but he was too frivolous about what was happening. As a result, on November 2, 2004, he was attacked on his way to work. Moroccan Mohammed Bouyeri first shot the director 8 times, and then stabbed him in the chest and slit his throat.
As sad as it is to admit, most fatalists are themselves to blame for the fact that their lives ended so tragically. Such a sad ending is, first of all, explained not by evil fate, but by the carelessness and frivolity of a person. Therefore, you should not believe so much in fate, but try to take responsibility for your life. In confirmation, we can cite the popular wisdom: “Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself.”
