(urth) The argument for Intractability

[Son of Witz]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jeff Wilson [mailto:jwilson at io.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 07:42 PM
>To: 'The Urth Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: (urth) The argument for Intractability
>
>Son of Witz wrote:
>> I don't think it completely eradicates free will.
>> It's just that it's not linear. It's all happened already.
>
>This is correct, as far as we know. Napoleon had free will, despite the 
>existence of records in our time that detail every major and many minor 
>decisions he made. However not all the circumstances of those decisions 
>are known, and the presence of a time traveler or indirect meddling 
>could change the circumstances, so that Napoleon could very well deviate 
>from the historical Napoleon's choices.
>
>> inhabitants of the timeline just experience it moment by moment.
>> I don't think "the exact genetic combination" is important. Severian's 
>> consciousness is what matters, not his body's cells. The book makes that 
>> point again and again.
>
>A female Severian (50% likelihood) would not be raised as a torturer, 
>and would thus have a very different mentality.

I read Severian as some sort of cosmic principle. some sort of deity.
As such, any manifestation of him would be appropriate to him.
but hey, that's just my whacked out take.