Musings on Fate

"...we may have to make room for a pre-scientific explanatory concept in our view of human nature - not free will, as many people have suggested to me, but fate. It is not free will because among the traits that may differ between identical twins reared together are ones that are stubbornly involuntary. No one chooses to become schizophrenic, homosexual, musically gifted, or, for that matter, anxious or self-confident or open to experience."

- Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate, 2002

For better or for worse, despite what many would like to believe, each of us has an inherent physiological mental structure developed before we are even born that influences a significant part of our development into adults: such is Pinker's stance on human development.

The idea of fate has been the subject of innumerable philosophical musings, and has been the focal point of religions around the world. Yet here, Pinker posits its existence in a scientific setting. He may not use it in the sense of a complete predetermination of one's future, but it still carries with it an aura of mysticism. How much of out future do we control, if we have inescapable inclinations guiding our thoughts from birth? What responsibility do we carry for our decisions, if 50% of what distinguishes us comes from our environment and the rest derives from the ordering of our DNA? Scientifically, the facts and figures defend the possibility of an incomplete destiny. Morally and socially, a public acceptance of the notion could be devastating to our society's structure.

"Your honor, I am merely a product of the society I was raised in," or, "Am I to be condemned for my father's genetic predispositions?" may become sufficient defenses for those who, by their own volition, are not fit to have relations with the public. With scientific evidence supporting that argument, it would be too easy for the justice system to break down and become a court of recitation. An ugly relic of the Nazi doctrine, the belief that some races are inherently superior to others, comes to mind with this argument, albeit on a familial level. The angry defense of those unwilling to recognize fact may surface as they predict, and consume our culture's current understanding of diversity.

Alternatively, such a realization could incite real change where it is needed: young adults being aware of and taking charge of their environment; a more positive philosophy in which people accept who they are yet seek to improve the world around them; and a rehaul of the educational system, not necessarily the education. Rather than worrying about "messing up" their child's development and using pop methods to improve it, parents could simply love and take care of their children, accepting that they are not in control of and thus not responsible for their fates. Rather than leading to a new wave of racial persecution, a greater understanding of the way one's self works could promote more diverse communities as the fear of difference washes away.

- Piers