Essential Question 2

[summerbalser]

When Perry makes this statement, he is saying that fate is predestined and inevitable. Whether you know what your future my hold or not, there is no changing the outcome. I disagree with Perry because I think he is just saying this to justify his own actions, and therefore biased to the truth. The truth is, if a person knows the action they are going to do, like robbing a store, is going to have severe punishments, then they could change what there future holds. Or if a person knows that if they walk home on a certain night, and a group of people who don't like you are waiting to mug you, you can change that outcome by not walking that way home or even calling someone to come drive you home.

[gabrielle]

I agree, people have the power to choose what they do in life, whether it's right or wrong, they can choose. Perry just said that statement because he murdered the Clutter family and feels that is a valid reason for why he did it, but it's not. Perry and Dick knew exactly what they were doing and they had the power to decide if they were going to kill the Clutter family. When people commit crimes they know that what they're doing is wrong, but they do it anyway.

[alextraylor]

I agree with Summer. Dick seems to be using this to defend his own actions and to help him mentally overcome anything that might happen to him that is negative. In addition this settles the philosophical issue of free will. Dick is saying that we have no choice in our destiny and therefore that we do not have free will. I truly believe that we have the choice to do good and bad things in our life including situations that are forced upon us. For example, situations like a economic depression can remove our money from us but we can still choose to make a good or bad choice from it. Like to honestly regain money through hard work or to steal. dick says that some things aren't in out control, and I agree with him... but that doesn't justify a wrong action.