It is our destiny to die: The effects of mortality salience and culture‐priming on fatalism and karma belief

The current study explores whether Asians use culture‐specific belief systems to defend against their death anxiety. The effects of mortality salience (MS) and cultural priming on Taiwanese beliefs in fatalism and karma were investigated. Study 1 showed that people believe in fatalism and karma more following MS compared with the control condition. Study 2 found that the effect of MS on fatalism belief was stronger when Taiwanese were exposed to an Eastern cultural context than to a Western cultural context. However, a matched sample of Western participants did not show increased fatalism belief after either a West‐ or East‐prime task. The present research provides evidence that Asians may use some culture‐specific beliefs, particularly fatalism belief, to cope with their death awareness.     

The roles of fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources in the disablement process in older adults

In this study, the authors examined the relations between 3 psychological variables-fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources-and the subsequent development of illness and disability 20 years later in an adult sample. Results indicated that greater fatalism, assessed in 1974, predicted greater difficulty in everyday cognitive tasks as well as illness in 1994. Higher self-confidence in 1974 was associated with lesser degrees of cognitive and fine motor difficulty in 1994. Greater intellectual resources in 1974 (a combination of intellectual flexibility and education) predicted less cognitive and gross motor difficulty as well as lesser degrees of illness in 1994. Some of these relations were stronger for older than for middle-aged individuals. Results are discussed in the context of models of the disablement process.     

Fatalism as a barrier to cancer screening among African-Americans: Philosophical perspectives

Fatalism has been identified as a crucial barrier to participation in cancer screening among African Americans. The essence of fatalism is woven throughout the lived experience for some African Americans. Therefore, to fully understand its impact, fatalism must be viewed within its broadest historical and sociocultural context. This article explores the philosophical origins and the practical significance of fatalism with regard to cancer screening among this population. Health care professionals must position themselves to promptly identify fatalistic persons. Interventions to successfully negate the influence of fatalism are needed.     

Understanding academic attitudes and achievement in mexican-origin youths: ethnic identity, other-group orientation, and fatalism

This study tested the relationships among ethnic identity, other-group orientation, fatalism, and 2 dependent variables: attitude toward education and school, and grade point average (GPA). Mexican-origin adolescents (N = 222) completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (J. S. Phinney, 1992), the fatalism scale of the Multiphasic Assessment of Cultural Constructs-Short Form (I. Cuellar, B. Arnold, & G. Gonzalez, 1995), and the attitude scale of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory-High School (C. E. Weinstein & D. R. Palmer, 1990a). Other-group orientation was positively related to attitude and GPA, and a negative relationship between fatalism and attitude was demonstrated. No relationship emerged between ethnic identity and the dependent variables.     

Échelle du fatalisme en santé version française (EFS-VF) : une validation de l’échelle du fatalisme en santé

IntroductionFatalistic beliefs have a deleterious effect on the adoption of healthy behaviours and well-being of individuals. In health domain, there are tools in the literature to measure those beliefs in several cultures, but none are suitable for an African context, precisely in Cameroon.ObjectiveThis study aimed to validate the French-cultural version of the 20-item health fatalism scale of Shen et al. in a Cameroonian population.MethodIn a sample of 652 participants (331 women and 321 men) aged from 15 to 61 years, this scale was translated, adapted and its psychometric qualities assessed.ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that in the Cameroonian context, a four-dimensional model with 18 items was more adjusted. The extracted factors were: luck, ineluctability of disease, pessimism and pre-determination.ConclusionThe health fatalism scale French version can be used effectively to evaluate fatalistic beliefs in the African context precisely in Cameroon, in order to adapt community health interventions aimed at eradicating risky behaviours.     

Timelessness and freedom

One way that philosophers have attempted to defend free will against the threat of fatalism and against the threat from divine beliefs has been to endorse timelessness views (about propositions and God’s beliefs, respectively). In this paper, I argue that, in order to respond to general worries about fatalism and divine beliefs, timelessness views must appeal to the notion of dependence. Once they do this, however, their distinctive position as timelessness views becomes otiose, for the appeal to dependence, if it helps at all, would itself be sufficient to block worries about fatalism and divine beliefs. I conclude by discussing some implications for dialectical progress.

     

Are There Differences in Fatalism Between Rural Southerners and Midwesterners?1

We conducted a phone survey of the rural South and Midwest examining fatalism and riskiness of health practices. Contrary to the contentions of some historians, ethnographers, writers, and social scientists, we found no evidence that Southerners were more fatalistic than Midwesterners. Southerners were not more likely to express the view that God or fate controlled their lives, and they were not more likely to take chances with their health and safety. The present findings contradict a commonly held view of the South, as well as a famous report in Science (Sims & Baumann, 1972) maintaining that higher death rates for tornadoes in this region might be due to Southern fatalism.     

Freedom: East and West

This paper explains some of the uses of the word ‘freedom’ in Western as well as in Indian philosophy. Regarding the psychological concept of freedom or free will, this paper focuses on the distinction between fatalism, determinism, types of compatibilism, and libertarianism. Indian philosophers, by and large, are compatibilists, although some minor systems, such as Śākta Āgama, favor a type of libertarianism. From the Indian perspective the form of life of human beings has also been mentioned in the discussion of free will. Regarding metaphysical freedom, I discuss the views of the Bhagavad Gītā and Swami Vivekananda in Sect. III. K.C. Bhattacharyya, a neo-Advaita Vedāntin, has discussed degrees of freedom of the subject at several levels. According to him, spiritual progress lies in the progressive realization of the freedom of the subject. I compare his view with the classical Advaita concept of freedom. I have also addressed the question of whether freedom from suffering can be realized at social and global levels. In this context I have mentioned some of the interpretations of the great saying ‘I am Brahman,’ and how freedom can be realized at the global level by using the Advaita concept of ‘oneness.’     

Presentism and fatalism

It is widely believed that presentism is compatible with both a libertarian view of human freedom and an unrestricted principle of bivalence. I argue that, in fact, presentists must choose between bivalence and libertarianism: if presentism is true, then either the future is open or no one is free in the way that libertarians understand freedom.     

Sunday School Student and Theological Fatalism

I will briefly argue that theological fatalism is not a genuine ‘theological’ problem, for it can be reduced to another alleged incompatibility that arises independently of the existence or non-existence of God. I will conclude that the way of arguing against the existence of God or His omniscience by appealing to theological fatalism is blocked for libertarian atheists.     

The Cultural Definition of Art

Most modern definitions of art fail to successfully address the issue of the ever‐changing nature of art, and rarely even attempt to provide an account that would be valid in more than just the modern Western context. This article develops a new theory that preserves the advantages of its predecessors, solves or avoids their problems, and has a scope wide enough to account for art of different times and cultures. It argues that an object is art in a given context iff some person(s) culturally competent in this context have afforded it the status of a candidate for appreciation for reasons considered good in this context. This weakly institutional view is supplemented by auxiliary definitions explaining the notions of cultural contexts, competence, and good reasons for affording the status. The relativisation to contexts brings increased explanatory power and scope, and the ability to account for the diversity of art.     

Cancer Fatalism—Spiritual Perspectives

Cancer fatalism is a deterrent to participation in cancer screening. Cancer fatalism represents a surrender of the human spirit to perceptions of hopelessness, powerlessness, worthlessness, and social despair. In contrast, spirituality enhances hope and coping abilities. This correlational pilot study investigated the relationship between cancer fatalism and spirituality among rural, elderly individuals. This knowledge may provide insight into ways to negate the influence of cancer fatalism. The majority of the sample were African-American and female. A prevailing sense of fatalism and spirituality existed. However, the relationship was not statistically significant. Philosophical implications and areas for future research are explored.     

On the cannot of infallibility

We content that a very seductive argument for theological fatalism fails. In the course of our discussion we point out that theological fatalism is incompatible with the existence of a being who is omnipotent, omniscient and infallible. We end by suggesting that ‘possible’ formalized as ‘◊’ is to be understood as ‘can or could have been’ and not simply as ‘can’. The argument we discuss conflates the two.     

Bocheński on divine providence and human freedom

Prior to his ‘naturalistic turn’, Bocheński was a Thomist and defended the Thomist doctrine as a logically consistent and attractive philosophical system. Some opponents of Thomism interpreted this doctrine, Aquinas’s conception of divine providence included, as a kind of theological fatalism (or theological determinism) incompatible with human freedom. Bocheński dismissed such interpretations as based on “a superficial misunderstanding.” I will try to demonstrate that his criticism of deterministic interpretations of Thomism was not quite justified. The article will present, first, Bocheński’s account of the Thomist doctrine of divine providence, next, the arguments for theological fatalism leading to the conclusion that there is no freedom if Aquinas’s conception of divine nature is assumed. Finally, I will try to show how the dispute between Thomism and its opponents is rooted in some fundamental differences concerning the very concept of human freedom.     

Hermeneutics,history, and d’où parlez vous? Paul Ricoeur and Tsenay Serequeberhan on how to engage African philosophy from a Western context

This article presents a possible method to engage African thought from a Western context. It does so by first showing the need for such an engagement by arguing that philosophical research is dominated by Western normativity: in phenomenology, for example, questions and answers gathered in this method more often than not ignore other cultures and perspectives, thus yielding results that only reflect a Western historico-cultural context. In order to open this normativity to other encounters, this article presents a dialogue between Ricoeur’s hermeneutic phenomenological method and Serequeberhan’s African hermeneutics. The upshot of this dialogue is that it presents a way for thinkers in a Western context to engage African thought without dominating or otherwise “recolonising” said thought.     

The Mission of the Church to People with Disabilities in Southern and Central Africa

Disability has, in recent years, become a focal point of discussion in many parts of the world with the increasing awareness that people with disabilities (PWDs) are disadvantaged because of their condition. Throughout history, PWDs have been relegated to the status of second‐class citizens and in some instances treated inhumanly. In many cultures, particularly in Africa, issues of disability are surrounded by fear because of the strong belief that they are caused by sin, witchcraft, or evil spirits. People with mental challenges are demonized. This has led to a negative attitude toward PWDs in the world generally and in Southern and Central Africa in particular. This paper discusses the mission of the church in this context. It argues that the church must act as a catalyst for change by generating a positive attitude toward PWDs so that they can enjoy fullness of life. This can be achieved by mainstreaming issues of disability in the social, economic, political, and spiritual life of society as a whole.     

From Necessity to Fate: a Fallacy

Though clearly fallacious, the inference from determinism to fatalism (the ``Lazy Argument') has appealed to such minds as Aristotle and his disciple, Alexander of Aphrodisias. It is argued here (1) that determinism does entail a rather similar position, dubbed ``futilism'; and (2) that distinctively Aristotelian determinism entails fatalism for any event to which it applies. The concept of ``fate' is examined along the way.     

A Dilemma for Eternalists

Philosophia - In this discussion I argue that, given the possibility of travel to the past, eternalists face a dilemma. They must choose between fatalism and the denial of an intuitive claim about...     

“Big Momma Had Sugar,Imma Have It Too” Medical Fatalism and the Language of Faith Among African–American Women in Memphis

This essay offers a theological exploration of the relationship between medical fatalism and religious belonging among African–American women in Memphis. Drawing on the work of black and womanist theologians and on conversations with participants in a diabetes intervention program administered by a faith-based community health provider, I argue that how we narrate the meanings of our bodies is irreducibly religious. The language we use to interpret and communicate the meaning of our bodily existence emerges from a set of assumptions, often unarticulated, about what is of ultimate value to us. The essay focuses on three interlocking features that link faith with fatalism or hope: (1) The idea that if “I don’t claim that” disease cannot enter my body; (2) the role of faith-based clinics in re-establishing trust with marginalized communities; and (3) how nuanced attention to the social location of health seekers can re-frame our understanding of patient compliance. Disrupting fatalism can only be done from within a health seeker’s own narrative, and therefore, healthcare providers who learn these narratives and respect their holiness will develop more effective interventions.