Determinism is the theory that everything that happens in the
universe—including every thought, feeling, and action of man—is necessitated
by previous factors, so that nothing could ever have happened differently from
the way it did, and everything in the future is already pre-set and inevitable.
Every aspect of man’s life and character, on this view, is merely a product of
factors that are ultimately outside his control. Objectivism rejects this
theory.
Dictatorship and determinism are reciprocally reinforcing corollaries: if one
seeks to enslave men, one has to destroy their reliance on the validity of
their own judgments and choices—if one believes that reason and volition are
impotent, one has to accept the rule of force.