What does determinism mean?
Determinism is the philosophical position that every event — including human thoughts, decisions, and actions — follows necessarily from prior causes together with the laws of nature. On this view, given the exact state of the universe at one moment, only one future is possible; free will, if it exists at all, must be reinterpreted rather than taken at face value. The idea has ancient roots in Stoic thought but took its modern form through classical physics, notably Laplace's vision of a universe whose entire future could be computed from its present condition. In everyday intellectual discussion, determinism appears in phrases like 'hard determinism' or 'biological determinism', where it is used to argue that some factor — physics, genes, upbringing — fixes outcomes that we tend to attribute to choice. Its counterpart is indeterminism, associated with quantum mechanics, which suggests that nature may contain genuine randomness.
The doctrine that all events, including human actions, are completely determined by previously existing causes.
"Hard determinism denies that free will is compatible with a fully caused universe."
Often modified by adjectives such as 'hard', 'soft', 'causal', 'genetic', or 'economic' to indicate scope.
In science and computing, the property whereby identical initial conditions invariably yield identical results.
"Classical mechanics assumes strict determinism, whereas quantum theory does not."
If determinism is right, every choice you'll ever make was already written into the universe billions of years before you were born.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of determinism
Determinism derives from the Latin verb 'determinare' (to fix bounds or settle), formed from 'de-' (completely) plus 'terminare' (to limit), itself rooted in 'terminus' (boundary). The English word emerged in the late eighteenth century as philosophers sought a name for the doctrine that all events are necessitated by prior causes, with 'determinism' coined to parallel terms like 'fatalism' while emphasizing causal necessity rather than fate. Cognates include French 'déterminisme' and German 'Determinismus'.
Related word forms
How determinism is actually used
Formal register, most common in philosophy, physics, psychology, and theology. Often qualified by an adjective ('hard', 'soft', 'causal', 'genetic') to specify which domain or version of determinism is meant. It carries no inherent emotional connotation but can sound bleak when applied to human agency.
Easily confused with determinism
Fatalism is the belief that outcomes are inevitable regardless of what one does, while determinism holds that events follow necessarily from prior causes — a claim about causation, not resignation.