2013

Philosophy Project

Tenseless Time

Class 11BSM4 – Group C

Leader: Hứa Bảo Duy

Group members:

Nguyễn Thị Phương Hà

Hoàng Lê Trang Đài

Phạm Thùy An

Trần Nhật Hạ

When we argue each other about the issue of time, we usually have some questions like Can we

travel to the future or come back to the past? Follow philosopher John M. E. McTaggart, we can

answer by two hypothesizes: Seri-A is the cause is changed lead to effect is changed or Seri-B is

many causes are changed lead to only an effect. If we analyze the above question by Seri-B, The

answers from theory or prognostication is never stop and is not banned by anyone, it continues

being created more and more. However, we are limited by many conditions like on technical

barriers that we cannot overcome in this universe which we are living. Have you ever thought

you will come back to the past so that you can fix your huge mistake that you have done? I

certainly will not be able to decide to answer this for you but in my opinion and that of most

others is the answers will be “Yes". It may be evident because most always want to fix their

mistake to have the best results in their life. Moreover, human greed is unlimited but human

know that when they try to fix something wrong, they are sometime unintentional make other

things become worse more. According to philosopher Augustine he believes that God created

time and space, God existed before time, his hypothesis nearly show us realize that the time is a

flow "hard", events occur serial. It means it will be will. Indeed, even we contribute anything to

fix it; we cannot change the fate that must happen. It seems be arranged so that we have to

undergo, not escape by anyway. Moreover, we try to change it but inadvertently it can lead us to

another ways that absolutely have the result like initial result.

One of the theories pointed out obviously about the time that is the Stoics. It relates a complete

fatalism. According to the Fatalism theory, “everything that happens must happen and there is

nothing we can do about it, since the casual agency is beyond our control or influence, instead of

brooding about the course of event past, present, and future, we ought to accept the prevailing

state of affairs – what occurs must occur” (Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll, 2013)1. Indeed,

everything in this world has been arranged by the fate. What happens then naturally it will

happen whether we contribute anything to fix it. In case of contribution, we do not really do it

completely changed. Just as we can only distort the outer shell but we cannot change the nature

of the inner core. Thus, we have to accept as the nature for it to happen when it happens.

Moreover, sometime we try to contribute to complete it but inadvertently it leads to other one

direction deviations. The situation in Butterfly Effect 3 Film has showed through the difficult

choice of the main character in the film -Sam. He wanted to save his younger sister, so he

plunged into the game that was the challenge fate has been predetermined. He cannot deny that

even though he has tried to contribute and repaired it several times but he cannot change the fate.

On the contrary, all his contributions made everything become more complicatedly. As the

argument above, can we intervene in the happening must happen? The answer is the difficult

determination because men are only a small element in a sequence of events that has been

arranged by the fate. We can only contribute a small part to improve the drawback but we cannot

change what will happen. As well as we cannot predict how it was arranged to control it exactly.

It happens or will happen, and we have to accept that the fact. Even though the fact that is as

expected or unexpected, my fate was put into. For example, Sam did not expect that even he save

his younger sister from the fire in the past, and then his younger sister would have to die.

Therefore, we can never change the truth and we must be really to face that.

Why at first Sam saved Jenna? Sam saved his young sister because he thinks that he can repair

the past, and can change the future. However, the events string happened after that is beyond his

control due to the events string be broken by his action and reflect in another way cause many

1Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll. (2013). Fatalism. In Philosophy I Made Simple (p. 128).

horrible thing. If Jenna did not die, she would cause a chain of the serious errors- she continued

to cause other fault that cannot control. Thus, Sam has to let what happen must happen.

Why Sam killed Jenna again? The Stoic Determinism said that, “everything that happens,

happens for a reason, and the reason is the plan of the cosmic rational element, there is complete

determinism in nature” (Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll, 2013)2. That means everything is

decided by any reasons and it is a part of cosmic rational element. Hence when we impact in it,

maybe we indirectly make them worse than the original events. Comeback to the Butterfly Effect

3 Film, in the fire, the fate of Jenna wad decided that she will not escape. Therefore, when Sam

tries to change the fate of Jenna, he makes the rotation of the events taking place in a different

dimension and it is worse. He decide to finally return to the past and keep event in the original

level that it must take place in the hope of avoiding the bad things when we change the first

cause of events string. However, the result of the film once again shows that there is only one

consequence whether the sequence of the events takes place in what manner or dimensions.

Moreover, human beings just can contribute to its process but not changing it.

If you had a supernatural ability to turn back the time and came to your past, you could change

events which you ever experienced them in your life. According to Spinoza, “The problem of

free will deals primarily with the human element in the universe –whether or not is it the ‘captain

of its fate’ to any degree” (Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll, 2013)3. Are you believe in

predestine of destiny or in your experience of your own behaviour and own decisions? This is a

difficult question for your own real choice. There are two opposing items for your decision. In

first way, you can turn back your past to change events or repair problems which you ever

2 Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll. (2013). Stoic Determinism. In Philosophy I Made Simple (p. 128). 3 Richard H. Popkin, Avrum Stroll. (2013). problem of Free will. In Philosophy I Made Simple (p. 114).

mistook. Also, the result of alteration will bring to something is better for your present and

future, are you sure? In other way, you can live continuously in your present life though you

don’t know how to your future and the occurrence of the past is only your own memory which is

unchanged. How do you know “free will”? It requires real choices-whether we are truly free

people to have free will that our choices are unaffected by anything occur or not. For example,

Sam is a main character in movie “The Butterfly Effect 3”. He must choose to save his younger

sister-Jenna or kill her. If he saved Jenna, he could create a cruel murderer and cause many

innocent deaths in the future. Hence, is his decision actually real choice when he must decide

between the death of other people and his younger sister? In this case, he must consider between

two choices, and he would be morally responsible for his actions if he killed her. In ethical side,

we think whether his behaviours are true. However, we cannot blame him for killing Jenna is

false, any more than we can blame his cruel destiny which binds him, and it also changes her

nature to become criminal so Sam’s responsibility for his action is unimportant. According to

hard determinism, we are not free for our own choice and behaviours, or there are no such

junctures due to our choices are limited. It means that we can only choose something base on

arrangement of the fated cycle. For a reason, “there is no escape from it- we are forever slaves to

it”. Thus, real choice does not exist so we are not morally responsible for our actions.