necessitarianism
necessitarianism — noun
1. the philosophical belief that every event, including human decisions and actions
the philosophical belief that every event, including human decisions and actions, follows inevitably from earlier causes, so that free will does not exist
The professor argued that necessitarianism removes all basis for moral responsibility.
illustrates a typical consequence of the theory
Quan found necessitarianism difficult to accept because it denies free will.
subject + find + concept + adjective + to-infinitive phrase
In Beatriz's ethics seminar, necessitarianism was compared with the idea of fate.
Critics of necessitarianism argue that people genuinely choose between different courses of action.
Caleb wrote an essay on the difference between necessitarianism and fatalism.
- determinism
more common and general; necessitarianism is a strong form of determinism
- predeterminism
adds the idea that events are fixed in advance by a prior plan or force
- fatalism
overlaps in everyday use but in philosophy distinct — fatalism is the attitude that outcomes are unavoidable, not a causal theory
- indeterminism
the view that events are not fully determined by prior causes
- free will
the belief that humans can make choices independently of prior causes
文法句型
necessitarianism + verb (holds / denies / leads to)
the + adjective + necessitarianism (hard / universal / absolute)
用法筆記
Commonly used as an uncountable noun in academic writing about free will and moral responsibility. It is largely synonymous with 'determinism' but emphasises logical necessity rather than causal regularity. The adjective form is 'necessitarian' (e.g. 'necessitarian argument'). Distinguished from 'fatalism' — fatalism suggests passive acceptance of a fixed outcome, while necessitarianism asserts that outcomes are determined by prior causes.