Determinism : as the ground of moral faith

Abstract

Determinism is a theory about the occurring of events, or the existing of Phenomena: and I interpret the theory to mean that all events, all phenomena, occur or exist in a state of necessary dependence on other Phenomena. By necessary dependence I mean a relation wherein one event or phenomenon is caused by other phenomena. There is a popular recognition of this relation. The news of any interesting event such as a fire or a famine is met by the immediate query, "What caused it?" The need to stand sponsor is felt in all cases in which the event is not either one whose statement implies its genesis or one arranged to express the operation of natural forces.