For one thing, the act of determination can only occur as the present and given information arrives from all directions at the speed of light, it's safe to say, the future is not predetermined.

As it is, we are linear, goal oriented creatures in a cyclical, circular, reciprocal, feedback generated reality, so while we go chasing after the pot of gold at the end of the narrative arc, the reality is that we just get caught up in feedback loops, both positive, on the upside and negative, on the downside.

Such as wealth and power leveraging more wealth and power, until the foundations crumble. If we ever want to understand the larger situation, a few circuit breakers come in handy. Like the Ancients devised debt jubilees, but we don't have as much historical knowledge, just branding everything.

To culture, good and bad are some cosmic conflict between the forces of righteousness and evil, while in nature, it is the basic biological binary of beneficial and detrimental.

We run with the herd. Even when the signs say, "Cliff ahead."