Knowing the Future

 

Determinism and fatalism are remarkably false and foolish beliefs. Even if, like “Laplaces’s demon”, you had infinite knowledge about the current physical universe and its history -- which is impossible -- you still couldn’t determine the future because of the large and inescapable presence of randomness (or chance or luck). Some things simply happen without a reason or cause -- and there’s nothing you can do to force them to have one.

As for fatalism, all living creatures are self-guiding. All have free will. This includes the simplest, dumbest, and most mechanically-predictable microbe. So even if you had infinite knowledge of that creature and its environment -- which is impossible -- you still couldn’t perfectly predict the future of its behavior or fate. The life-form’s liberty to act at will is irreducible, untouchable, and inescapable. Thus the ancient “idle argument” about not bothering to get medical treatment, since your health fate is sealed and predetermined, is absurd.

Determinist and fatalist William James once said: “The future has no ambiguous possibilities hidden in its womb.” But as Cicero noted long before him: “ There is nothing so foolish but some philosopher has said it.” Determinists and fatalists are poor at logic and intellectual honesty. The future is what we make it.

You People

 

I’m an idealist. I have serious standards and principles. All thru my horrific upbringing I stayed loyal to my sacred soul and lofty idealism. No matter how much I suffered, I ferociously held onto them.

The rest of you didn’t. I watched the final bits of idealism die out from all of you by age 15 or 16.

Now you have nothing left. You people gave out and gave up long ago. There’s little left of your humanity either.

You folks are basically just empty shells. A poor simulation of what you once were. You’re all pretty much zeros -- dead men walking.

But your zombie philosophy, lifestyle, and persona are not for me.

* * *

I don’t like you guys very much -- obviously. And I certainly don’t respect you. Still, I sometimes dutifully study you. I view you all distastefully and from a distance. I regard you folks as the space aliens and bizarre mutants that you evidently are.

Of course, I’m not really all that interested. You both repel and bore me.

And bear in mind: I absolutely hate your fucking guts. I may reluctantly observe and analyze you all, from time to time. But I still want you devils to suffer hideously and die pathetically. You certainly deserve this.

Still, for all your remarkable evil and amazing hostility to myself, I’m still a part-time anthropologist. I’m still somewhat curious as to who -- or at least what -- you ridiculous, wretched, ghastly, pseudo-people really are.

You seem so similar to me physically. Maybe not mentally, psychologically, or spiritually. But at least on the surface, you appear to be moderately like me.

Hence I sometimes contemplate, and speculate upon, the nature of you deviants and clowns. Call it a morbid fascination.

You folks do seem more worthy of examination than gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. And even more so, perhaps, than generally noble cats and dogs. Thus I frequently interact with “my fellow man” (sic).

* * *

In the Game of Life, I sometimes like to talk to men. I sometimes like to have sex with women. But when I talk to men, I’m painfully aware of what animals and monsters you all are. And when I have sex with women, I’m painfully aware of how ultimately debasing it is to engage in such de facto perversion and bestiality. You people are all low, awful, repellent demons and insects.

And I’m aware of how you folks pretty much never stop verbally and physically attacking me. You continuously assault me with your foolish and malicious ways. With your irrational, illiberal philosophy. With your criminal, tyrannical, welfare statist government. With your general betrayal. And, of course, with all your evasions and lies.

But so it goes. Such is my life on earth. You zombies and mutants may have no idealism, but you rule.

When I gaze upon you all, you don’t even seem real or alive to me. Definitely you aren’t human. Clearly you aren’t normal, decent, or good.

Basically you people are just traitors to yourself, humanity, and me. Just hideous vermin fit only for extermination.