Friday, March 21, 2003

For those many of you

For those many of you who may think the Chucklehut should lighten the hell up already, I offer a snippet from my current source of nocturnal reading:

“I confess, that the theory which subjects all things to the will of an indifferent deity, and asserts that they are all dependent on his fiat, is less far from the truth than the theory of those, who maintain that God acts in all things with a view of promoting what is good.  For these latter persons seem to set up something beyond God, which does not depend on God, but which God in acting looks to as an exemplar, or which he aims at as a definite goal.  This is only another name for subjecting God to the dominion of destiny, an utter absurdity in respect to God, whom we have shown to be the first and only free cause of the essence of all things and also of their existence.  I need, therefore, spend no time in refuting such wild theories.” Baruch/Benedict Spinoza, Ethics, Part I [Concerning God], Prop. XXXIII, Note ii.

Yeah.  I guess that explains some things.  If you know which ones they are, do please let me know.  I’m on page 82 of 270 and I’m hoping things come together eventually.