Do you think it is appropriate to describe these men as fatalists or materialists?
Yes, it is appropriate to describe these teachers as fatalists and materialists based on their teachings.
Makkhali Gosala of the Ajivika tradition was a fatalist who believed that everything is predetermined. He taught that pleasure and pain cannot be altered in the course of samsara, and neither virtue nor penance can change one's karma. He compared life to a ball of string that unwinds to its full length, meaning human destiny is fixed.
Ajita Kesakambalin of the Lokayata tradition was a materialist who denied the existence of the soul, afterlife, and value of sacrifices. He believed humans are made of four elements that return to nature after death, with no survival afterward. His philosophy rejected spiritual concepts entirely.
Explanation
The textbook explicitly states that the Ajivikas 'have often been described as fatalists: those who believe that everything is predetermined,' and the Lokayatas are 'usually described as materialists.' The teachings of Makkhali Gosala support the fatalist label as he denied human agency in changing one's karma. Ajita Kesakambalin's teachings support the materialist label as he rejected the soul, afterlife, and sacrifices, viewing humans as merely material elements.