It sounds like the opening of either a Sherlock Holmes story or a Shakespearean tragedy. Two British businessmen take on a US commercial behemothOriginally a monster described in the Bible, today the term is used to describe anything large, unwieldy and potentially dangerous.. The struggle engulfs their lives for over a decade.

Finally, they win their fight and look forward to returning to their lives - only to perish in two freak accidents.

That is the tragic tale of Mike Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain. Lynch went missing early this week when his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Not long afterwards, Chamberlain was hit by a car while running in Cambridgeshire and later died in hospital.¹

It has some asking if destiny really does exist. Throughout history, human beings have found reasons for their misfortune in nature and the divine.

In ancient Greece, it was believed that every being had been assigned a destiny by the laws of the universe. This was represented by the figures of the Three Fates. Even the gods could not interfere with their work.²

Today, most neuroscientistsA scientist who studies the brain and the nervous system.  think our faith in fate is really a byproduct of our evolution. Early human beings benefited from being able to see patterns in the world around them: it allowed them to predict the migration paths of animals and the changing of the seasons.

This takes place in the neocortex, the outer layer of the brain, which is found only in mammals and is especially well-developed in humans.

However, this pattern-forming part of our brain can sometimes mislead us by identifying patterns that are not really there.

Psychologists are divided on whether or not this pattern-spotting ability is good for us. Some say that believing that events are predetermined can help make us more confident.³

It means when we walk into an exam or an interview, we can tell ourselves the result is already decided. That can give us the boost in self-belief we need to do well.

But the flipside of this coin is fatalism: the belief that there is no point in striving for anything, as we cannot do anything to affect whether or not we get it.

One study found that the more important a task is, the more likely we are to believe its outcome is the result of fate.⁴

Is there such a thing as fate?

Yes: We know that the universe is ruled by iron laws. It would be the height of arrogance to think the rules that move planets do not apply to us. Events like this seem to prove the universe has a plan for us - whether good or bad.

No: What we call fate is nothing but an illusion of our pattern-seeking primate brains. The world is ruled by randomness: it is the making of some of us and the ruin of others.

Or... Something called "fate" may or may not exist in the universe. But our belief in fate, or lack of it, can be very consequential in our own lives.

FOR YOUR SUMMER READING CHALLENGE CLUE GO TO STEP SIX IN THE SIX STEPS TO DISCOVERY BELOW.