Giới thiệu

Reading St. Gregory’s letter is relevant for today's audience because it defends the freedom of the human will against astrological fatalism. Apart from those instances involving superstition, most people in modern societies do not subscribe to the influence of stars and planets over their lives. Despite this fact, modern developments in both science and psychology that abrogate the role of free will compel us to confront the perennial question of freedom versus determinism.  If, as some scientists maintain, the neo-Darwinian view of evolution depends upon the revelation of eternal forms, we do not have true creativity but the manifestation of patterns. In his letter Against Fate, St. Gregory seeks to refute precisely this (Platonic) conception of determinism. Gregory employs this form "as a simple, unelaborated presentation" to a pagan philosopher in Constantinople. This man, who assumes the role of St. Gregory's antagonist, believes that the position of the stars at a person's birth determines his or her destiny. That is to say, free will is basically irrelevant in our lives. In his opening remarks, St. Gregory gives the example of "the wisest Eusebios," who was formerly influenced by fate but later "prevailed against infidelity through his great faith." St. Gregory does not elaborate upon the Christian faith in his letter by means of quotations from the Old and New Testaments. Instead, we have a lengthy epistle which contains both a philosophical and scientific approach to the problem of astrological fatalism. The role of astrology has had a long history dating back before the 4th century and can be traced to Chaldean-Babylonian astronomical speculation. The Greek-speaking world employed such terms for the notion of destiny as μοῖρα / moira (literally, 'part' or 'portion;' ), ἀνάγκη / anagkei (necessity) and Εἱμαρμένη / heimarmene

Chủ đề: St. Gregory of Nyssa, Fate, moira, anagkei, heimarmene, astrology, divination, luck, fortune, determinism, Stoicism, philosophy, Plotinus, stars, cosmos, Orthodoxy, Christianity, Orthodox Church

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