on free will

(image by Fiona Rae)

two somewhat pertinent quotes from my book:

"Refusing to believe in chance is the most subtle, & perhaps the least pernicious, form of denial. But who is there can believe in neither chance nor necessity?"

"My doctrine of Moments of Choosing: humans don't have free will except at long intervals & for brief moments, & they mostly let them go by; but for that time, it is possible to make a more free or less free choice, with ramifying consequences thereafter. Thus it is wisdom to develop sensitivity toward such moments, & to learn what to do with them while they are here."

actually, rather than quibble at all, i can today only marvel at people's readiness to plunge into sides-taking in any discussion whatsoever without defining the key terms: almost as if doing so, would invalidate the heroism of the plunge. (but then, where would philosophy be?)

perhaps they would only discover, that even though these words cannot be defined, we're still unwilling to give them up.

which is something, after all, to know.

on progress

the myth of progress would have this fictive entity "knowledge" growing on an upcurve without restraint or limit.

just like other things that look good on this curve.

i myself regard it like the multiplication of bacteria, as a cautionary tale.

every culture regards itself as the repository of all necessary wisdom, & whatever it lacks gets pushed beyond some useful horizon of don't-care-to-find-out.

instead of people filling their memories with lore of the tribe, useable skills, & integrated perceptions of their immediate environment, nowadays they stock up with media products, imaginary worlds, & cultivated triviality. i doubt if this fits us for any survival outside of this moment in time which will surely end in most of our lifetimes.

we won't even have maps or encyclopedias by then.