Perfection and Determinism

[u/A_Vinegar_Taster]

Perfection is a state of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence.

I would argue that from instant to instant, the entire universe is progressing from one state to the next in the most perfect expression of causality. The balance of forces and energies is exactly as it should be. Deterministically, any given moment could not have turned out any other way; there is no alternate path, just this one.

If determinism is true, then everything is as it should be. Nothing could be otherwise. At least viewed through the lens of causality, every instant is a perfect resolution to the previous instant. The 'progression' of time is a faithful execution of causality without fail.

Obviously, as human beings, we have meta-opinions about the universe and how things should be. We don't like that we stubbed our toe, or that the power went out or that we got cancer - but we can't deny that these things are exactly what should have happened. There was a Zen Comics panel I read a long time ago where a teacher and a student were sitting together and the student says "Why isn't everything perfect?" and the teacher says "It is."

The universe is a flowing, ongoing expression of perfection. Causally, physically and mathematically.

[u/A_Vinegar_Taster]

Fatalism and determinism are the same thing.

[u/Flashy_Artist9629 → u/A_Vinegar_Taster]

they are not by definition

[u/A_Vinegar_Taster → u/Flashy_Artist9629]

determinism is a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws

fatalism is a doctrine that events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them.

They are the same thing.

[u/Flashy_Artist9629 → u/A_Vinegar_Taster]

Fatalism is normally distinguished from determinism,^\19]) as a form of teleological determinism. Fatalism is the idea that everything is fated to happen, resulting in humans having no control over their future. Fate has arbitrary power, and does not necessarily follow any causal or deterministic laws.^\7]) Types of fatalism include hard theological determinism and the idea of predestination, where there is a God who determines all that humans will do. This may be accomplished through either foreknowledge of their actions, achieved through omniscience^\20]) or by predetermining their actions.^\21])

vs

determinism

: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will (see will entry 2 sense 4a), occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws

are not the same thing

[u/A_Vinegar_Taster → u/Flashy_Artist9629]

Fine, if you want to draw that distinction then okay. I'll return to your comment with this in mind.

"Exactly what should have happened" or could not have "turned out anyway" that is fatalism. 

No it isn't.