An Homage to MWT (and Willow, who is a genius)

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

So, last night, in the wee hours of the morning, I, in the grand ole tradition of college students everywhere, was attempting to finish writing my final philosophy paper of the semester.  It was on Chapter 5 of a really annoying dead dude's Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy, entitled "Divine Foreknowledge of Human Actions."  Basically, it attempts to reconcile the idea of an all-knowing God with the idea of human free will.  I read it about five times, and kept getting more and more confused, and then Willow graciously agreed to listen to me work it out "aloud," in the hopes of reaching a real conclusion about it.

Willow: will I be distracting you if I ask you what that has to do with eternity and simplicity?

 
Jade: nah.  The more I explain it, the more it makes sense

 Jade: we've got this idea that objects are known only as far as the knower is capable of knowing them, not based on themselves, and therefore God, as perfection, is the only being capable of knowing something perfectly

 Jade: in order to see how God sees things, we have to consider eternity

 Jade: God is eternal

 Jade: eternity is "endless life possessed all at once in its totality and perfection"--basically, eternity is an entire infinite lifetime in a single moment

 Jade: so, God lives in a single moment

 Jade: so God sees everything, perfectly, in a single moment

 Jade: therefore there's no "foreknowledge" because there is no future, because everything is now, in this single, eternal moment

 

Willow: ahh

 Willow: ok

 Willow: do you agree?

 Willow: I mean

 Willow: you have to call it something

 Willow: even if it is not technically foreknowledge

Jade: oh, I agree as far as this is

Jade: it's just divine knowledge/providence

Jade: but he's still not explaining how this doesn't negate free will!

Jade: okay, so God sees everything in a single instant!

 

Willow: so, free will--

Willow: if I know you are about to snog Costis

 

Jade: so he decides how everything is going to be in that s--

 

Willow: that does not mean you are not still free to do it

 

Jade: *is suddenly interested*

 

Willow: I just know it will happen

Willow: LOL

 Willow: reprobate :P

 

Jade:  :-D

 Jade: yeah

 Jade: but what if I don't do it?

 

Willow: but I know you will

 

Jade: I'm free not to do it too

 Jade: yes

 Jade: but how does you knowing I will--if I don't do it.  If you know I will do it, but I choose not to, instead.  you know I will choose not to, too?

 

Willow: because it's knowing

 

Jade: (actually, I think you just summed it up perfectly, and I'm insanely jealous.  Clearly, actually having to read the main text doesn't help at all)

 Jade: yes!

 Jade: so God knows me so well he knows exactly how I will choose, but he doesn't...make...me...choose...

 

Willow: but don't mention the snogging if you sum that up in your paper

 

Jade: wait, I do agree with him?

 

Willow: exactly

 

Jade: LOL

 Jade: LOL

 

Willow: LIKE LIKE LIKE

 Willow: OOOH

 Willow: The Eddisian gods and Gen

 

Jade: ...YES

 Jade: OMG YES

 Jade: YES

 

Willow: :D

 

Jade: *just burst out laughing in the middle of the very quiet study lounge*

 Jade: oh my gosh

 

Willow: :D

 

Jade: I can't believe we just drew that parallel

 Jade: OMG

 Jade: OMG

 Jade: *dies*

 Jade: *DIES*

 

Willow: *revives*

 

Jade: *is reviven*

to sum up: 14 pages of Boethius = really confusing and lame attempt to articulate an idea.  8 sentences in The Queen of Attolia = simple, concise, and clear articulation of the same idea.

just another example of why I love QoA so much.

also: a corollary:  Costis is One Hot Piece of Attolian Manflesh.  Mentioning him is guaranteed to make any conversation 1000x more interesting or your money back!  :-b