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When we think about the present, we veer wildly between the belief in chance and the evidence in favour of determinism. when we think about the past, however, it seems obvious that everything happened in the way that it was intended.
-Michel Houellebecq
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When We Think About The Present, We

Michel Houellebecq
When we think about the present, we veer wildly between the belief in chance and the evidence in favour of determinism. when we think about the past, however, it seems obvious that everything happened in the way that it was intended.
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More From Michel Houellebecq

Old-fashioned determinism was what we may call hard determinism. it did not shrink from such words as fatality, bondage of the will, necessitation, and the like. nowadays, we have a soft determinism which abhors harsh words, and, repudiating fatality, necessity, and even predetermination, says that its real name is freedom; for freedom is only necessity understood, and bondage to the highest is identical with true freedom.
Freedom Real Names
The metaphysical doctrine of determinism simply asserts that all events in this world are fixed, or unalterable, or predetermined. it does not assert that they are known to anybody, or predictable by scientific means. but it asserts that the future is as little changeable as is the past. everybody knows what we mean when we say that the past cannot be changed. it is in precisely the same sense that the future cannot be changed, according to metaphysical determinism.
Future Mean Science
Now, there is something else interesting here, is this thing called self-determinism and pan-determinism. we have found that there is something stands as a barrier between the ability of a person to be self-determined and the condition he is in, and that is willingness to be controlled. as long as a person will resist control, then everything that comes along which threatens to control him can do so; and thus you have aberration. and until he has a total tolerance of control, he cannot be self-determined or pan-determined.
Self Interesting Long
Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. when they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. it would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. and because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.
Faith Atheist Strong
We may define "faith" as the firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. where there is evidence, no one speaks of "faith." we do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth is round. we only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence. the substitution of emotion for evidence is apt to lead to strife, since different groups, substitute different emotions.
Two Religion Wish
Live in the present. the past is gone; the future is unknown -- but the present is real, and your opportunities are now. you must see these opportunities; they must be real for you. the catch is that they can't seem real if your mind is buried in past failures, if you keep reliving old mistakes, old guilts, old tragedies. fight your way above the many inevitable traumatizations of your ego, escape damnation by the past, and look to the opportunities of the present. i don't mean some vague moment in the present -- next week or next month, perhaps. i mean today, this minute.
Real Mistake Mean
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