Fate in Science Fiction
Aaron Piavis
Professor Meiers
12/9/13
Course Project
Fate and Destiny in Science Fiction
How many people believe in some form of philosophical fate or destiny? Quite a few based on today’s entertainment industry. “Over the last decade there has been a significant shift in the attitudes of philosophers as they have become increasingly receptive the the opportunity to apply the methods of philosophical inquiry to film.” (Sanders 1) Fate and destiny can be seen as a theme in all kinds of movies because many people have those beliefs. The particular types of movies I am talking about today are science fiction movies; and two science fiction works that do a good job of displaying the theme of destiny are Star Wars and Dr. Who. So what exactly is fate and destiny and why is it such a popular theme to be used in movies? Why fate and destiny are often used as a theme and the difference between the two terms fate and destiny will be explained by comparing how the themes are used in Star Wars and Dr. Who.
First, a little bit about destiny and fate. They may sound like they go hand in hand but they actually have a few differences. Fate and Destiny may both involve and projected outcome, but fate is when some form of a higher power predetermines and orders the course of events. Destiny is when the finality of events have worked themselves out. What this means is that, unlike fate, destiny deals with potential outcomes based on a given path. This means that with destiny, if the path is skewed the destiny can change.
So what exactly makes destiny and fate so effective to use in today’s entertainment? Quite a lot of things actually. For one thing humans have been enthralled with fate and destiny for over two millennium. Examples of this can been seen in classical and European mythology. Some specific examples can be seen in the form of Moirai in Greek mythology, Parcae in Roman mythology, and Norns in Norse mythology. These three names are the names of the goddesses
Professor Meiers
12/9/13
Course Project
Fate and Destiny in Science Fiction
How many people believe in some form of philosophical fate or destiny? Quite a few based on today’s entertainment industry. “Over the last decade there has been a significant shift in the attitudes of philosophers as they have become increasingly receptive the the opportunity to apply the methods of philosophical inquiry to film.” (Sanders 1) Fate and destiny can be seen as a theme in all kinds of movies because many people have those beliefs. The particular types of movies I am talking about today are science fiction movies; and two science fiction works that do a good job of displaying the theme of destiny are Star Wars and Dr. Who. So what exactly is fate and destiny and why is it such a popular theme to be used in movies? Why fate and destiny are often used as a theme and the difference between the two terms fate and destiny will be explained by comparing how the themes are used in Star Wars and Dr. Who.
First, a little bit about destiny and fate. They may sound like they go hand in hand but they actually have a few differences. Fate and Destiny may both involve and projected outcome, but fate is when some form of a higher power predetermines and orders the course of events. Destiny is when the finality of events have worked themselves out. What this means is that, unlike fate, destiny deals with potential outcomes based on a given path. This means that with destiny, if the path is skewed the destiny can change.
So what exactly makes destiny and fate so effective to use in today’s entertainment? Quite a lot of things actually. For one thing humans have been enthralled with fate and destiny for over two millennium. Examples of this can been seen in classical and European mythology. Some specific examples can be seen in the form of Moirai in Greek mythology, Parcae in Roman mythology, and Norns in Norse mythology. These three names are the names of the goddesses