A Determinism

1 (ethics) The doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.<div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Determinism is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy" title="Philosophy" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">philosophical</a> belief that all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have sprung from diverse and sometimes overlapping motives and considerations. The opposite of determinism is some kind of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indeterminism" title="Indeterminism" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">indeterminism</a> (otherwise called nondeterminism) or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomness" title="Randomness" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">randomness</a>. Determinism is often contrasted with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will" title="Free will" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">free will</a>.<span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-Franklin_1-0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: super; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-Franklin-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"></a><span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: super; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"></a><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Determinism often is taken to mean <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">causal determinism, which in physics is known as cause-and-effect. It is the concept that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event_(philosophy)" title="Event (philosophy)" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">events</a> within a given <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm" title="Paradigm" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">paradigm</a> are bound by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality" title="Causality" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">causality</a> in such a way that any state (of an object or event) is completely determined by prior states. This meaning can be distinguished from other varieties of determinism mentioned below.<p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Other debates often concern the scope of determined systems, with some maintaining that the entire universe is a single determinate system and others identifying other more limited determinate systems (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse" title="Multiverse" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">multiverse</a>). Numerous historical debates involve many philosophical positions and varieties of determinism. They include debates concerning determinism and free will, technically denoted as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibilistic" title="Compatibilistic" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">compatibilistic</a> (allowing the two to coexist) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incompatibilistic" title="Incompatibilistic" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">incompatibilistic</a> (denying their coexistence is a possibility). Determinism should not be confused with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory" title="Self-determination theory" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">self-determination</a> of human actions by reasons, motives, and desires. Determinism rarely requires that perfect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction" title="Prediction" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">prediction</a> be practically possible.2 (computing) The property of having behavior determined only by initial state and input.SynonymsfatalismAntonymsindeterminism
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