To
succeed to earn 1 million USD is universally judged to be an achievement. A
lucky turn of events does not an achievement make. A person must be intent on
achieving to have his deeds classified as achievements. Supposing a conscious
and intelligent person has the intention to achieve a goal. He then engages in
a series of absolutely random and unrelated actions, one of which yields the
desired result. One must proceed to produce a plan of action, which is directly
derived from the overriding goal. Such a plan of action must be seen to be
reasonable and pragmatic and leading - with great probability - to the
achievement. Attaining an achievement involves the construction of an ad-hoc
mini theory. Only if the prediction turns out to be correct can we speak of an
achievement.
One must
carry out one's plan of action (from mere plan to actual action). If a person
consciously intends to obtain a university degree and constructs a plan of
action, which involves bribing the professors into conferring one upon him -
this will not be considered an achievement. To qualify as an achievement, a
university degree entails a continuous and strenuous effort. Such an effort is
commensurate with the desired result. Otherwise, the effort will be judged to
be random, devoid of meaning, haphazard, arbitrary, capricious, etc. - which
will erode the achievement status of the results of the actions. Serendipity
cannot underlie an achievement.
An
achievement must bring about change. In an entropic, stagnant world - no
achievement is ever possible. Sisyphean acts are meaningless and Sisyphus has
no achievements to talk about.
If we
have no free will - we can have no real plans and intentions and if our actions
are determined elsewhere - their results are not ours and nothing like
achievement exists but in the form of self delusion.
Labelling
a complex of actions and results "an achievement" requires social
judgement and social recognition. Events and actions are classified as
achievements, in other words, as a result of value judgements within given
historical, psychological and cultural contexts. Judgement has to be involved:
are the actions and their results negative or positive in the said contexts.
