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started my second read of New Sun

Jeff Wilson · 14 May 2010, 18:21 · from 2010-May.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 13:21:05 -0500
Subject: (urth) started my second read of New Sun
In-Reply-To: <g2j272706221005050928o93547c9dw7d31d90e86084578 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <x2rb5bac3561005050900p82ab73aele94c2f3c6220275 at mail.gmail.com>	<t2r1f7617371005050907uc9321751xfdd6599e31fdc91 at mail.gmail.com>
	<g2j272706221005050928o93547c9dw7d31d90e86084578 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4BED9491.4030502 at io.com>

On 5/5/2010 11:28 AM, Lane Haygood wrote:
> One could argue that Severian's life is a series of Dickensian
> coincidences machinated by powers beyond his knowledge to fulfill a
> certain role, but if those powers are as truly omnipotent as such a
> scheme would suggest, why the rigmarole of the New Sun at all?

Time travel. Once causality begins to loop back, there are no 
coincidences, no probability in the chain of events. What determines the 
chain of events is that it requires the least intervention by the time 
travellers.

And time travel happens because it is an allegory for G-d's eternal 
nature outside of Creation, even though G-d himself also appears in the 
story to remind us that the instruments of that intervention are flawed 
but their employer is not.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >

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