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Determinism Quotes

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Determinism Quotes

“Insecurity is the lack of trust in your abilities and worth. When you enter into a secured state of consciousness, everything that helped boost your confidence will return.”

FearAbilityConsciousnessCourageDoubtPsychologySecuritySelf EsteemAcceptanceTrustReturnConfidenceEgoSelf AwarenessIndependenceCriticsSelf ConfidenceSelf RealizationPositive AttitudeContentmentInsecurityInner StrengthSelf AcceptanceHelpWorthSelf RelianceEverythingBoostDeterminismSelf DoubtSelf TrustAttitudesFretSelf Irony
Book:The Book of Maxims, Poems and Anecdotes
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“The majority of scientist and philosophers currently believe that determinism and free will are compatible. Perhaps our world is largely deterministic; we can trace the outcome of many events to one specific cause. Equally probable is the possibility that multiple causes contribute to the outcome of a particular event, and we can link some of the causation factors to pure chance or coincidence. If the universe is not a deterministic system, then human evolution was not a foregone conclusion but a product of multiple causes including specific physical events, random mutation, and absolute chance. If the universe is not deterministic, then human beings potentially possess a modicum of free will. While there are inherent limitations on what people can will, the ability to make contemplative, conscious decisions allows us to modify whom we are and whom we are determines how we act. For instance, a person cannot will himself or herself to be a genius, but they can choose to learn as much as possible. Therefore, we are in fact responsible for our final character and the outcome of our life.”

Self RealizationFree WillSelf DeterminationFreedom Of ChoiceDeterminismFree Will QuotesFreedom Of MindDeterministic
Book:Dead Toad Scrolls
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“DETERMINISM AND PROBABILITY We may understand determinism as “the thesis that there is at any instant exactly one physically possible future” (Van Inwagen, 1983, used by Dennet in his Edinburgh University lecture). But, a theory, or a thesis, must be based on our concepts, knowledge, and understanding of reality. Our very concepts, understanding, and conclusions about reality may be only partially correct or accidental since there is not enough knowledge (not to mention evidence) to support the particular theory or thesis. In light of these ideas, it would not only be more economical but also prudent and wise to consider the reality out and beyond the customary spectrum and, by doing this, to come to conclusions or theories that would more significantly, possibly more accurately, reflect not only our ideas but the reality itself as it could be, beyond established and accepted paradigms, and, ideally, reflect the reality as it is. In that way, we would provide the ground (or possible grounds, or open the possibility) for defining the actual reality in a more tangible or, ideally, more accurate and useful manner than defining ideas and concepts based on theories, which may very well be, more or less, futile attempts to define the indefinable, depending on the degree of accuracy of any single approach. Dennett uses the example of quantum physics to prove that “at any instant, there are many possible futures, and they are completely undetermined.” Once the organism of the Universe is in motion, its destiny is determined to a large extent. This destiny will be different if the same Universe starts motion (walk, experience, life) at any other “moment.” Every destiny of every new Universe or revival is different. That is the potential of the Absolute. This potential or its variations are not known even by the omnipotent intellect or God. Even an “intellect, which knew all the forces that animate Nature at any given moment,” could not know precisely how its potential “materialized” in every new birth, revival, and cycle.”

PhilosophyUniverseCosmosFree WillDejan StojanovicAbsoluteDeterminismDaniel DennetVan Inwagen
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“Different conclusions to which Pierre Simon Laplace (Philosophical Essays on Probabilities [1814 ]) arrived stem from almost the same subject (the world) analyzed by Dennett. We must credit Laplace (which Dennett did) for thinking about the same problem two centuries ago without possibly being affected by the discoveries to which Dennett and other philosophers and scientists were exposed. However, we must emphasize that some other philosophers and scientists before Laplace treated the same subject, including Baron d’Holbach and Roger Boscovich (Ruđer Josip Bošković) in his Theory of Natural Philosophy . “Laplace’s Damon” (argument): “An intellect that at any given moment knew all the forces that animate Nature and the mutual positions of the beings that comprise it, if this intellect were vast enough to submit its data to analysis, would condense into a single formula the movement of the greatest bodies of the universe and that of the lightest atom; for such an intellect nothing could be uncertain; and the future, just like the past, would be present before its eyes.” — Pierre Simon Laplace, A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities There is nothing wrong with this argument since it is only hypothetical in terms of “An intellect which at any given moment knew all the forces that animate Nature …” This is not a positive or negative statement about determinism but only an intellectual proposition or question of what the case would be if there were such a “vast enough” intellect. Another question is if Laplace’s own belief or faith would lead him or not to such a conclusion. He only states that “an intellect which at any given moment knew all the forces that animate nature …” which is not proof that such an intellect exists or that he unconditionally believes in such an intellect. The mere intellectual proposition about an imagined intellect (not necessarily a real one) under the proposed conditions (not necessarily the real ones), we shall treat only as a hypothetical question or proposition or statement and not as an apparent belief (though there may be a clear belief behind it). Furthermore, this proposition doesn’t prove how it would undermine the compatibility between determinism and free will even if such an intellect existed. Laplace's conclusion under the proposed conditions is proper and must be true. But the question is not whether the conclusion itself is true if the argument, Laplace’s Damon (actually intelligence), does not represent (demonstrate) or prove the fact (truth) but only a possibility that this may be a fact (if such an intellect existed). We cannot say that this is a definition of determinism by Laplace but a possible vision (of a definition) of a universe under the proposed conditions.”

UniverseIntellectCosmosFree WillAbsoluteDeterminismLaplaceDaniel DennettRoger Boskovic
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“To prove this to be a definition, not only of determinism but also of the actual world (Universe), to which goal Laplace aims, Laplace would have (or should have) offered “proof” of the actual state of the Universe. Since this was impossible, he defined a world under such “ideal” conditions through an example as a proposition. The question of whether the world, under such “ideal” conditions, would be ideal is highly debatable (we would dare to think that such a world would be not only far from perfect but on the verge of horror). From this argument, it follows that if such a world were not, in fact, ideal, then imagined or proposed “ideal conditions” would not be ideal either.”

UniverseCosmosFree WillDejan StojanovicAbsoluteDeterminismLaplaceDaniel Dennet
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“Determinism implicitly seeks perfection, but the idea of determinism pursuing perfection is the pursuit of its own perfection (rather than perfection outside itself). But we would first need to know what perfection and an ideal are. It would not matter much if, by analyzing this, we conclude that the ideal and the perfect are the same, in which case we would use these words and terms interchangeably. But the problem is how to define the basis (on which determinism is, and must be, largely based) of the whole universe if we do not understand exactly the meaning, or all possible meanings, of the terms perfect and ideal, not to mention our understanding or misunderstanding of the actual state of the Universe.”

UniverseCosmosFree WillDejan StojanovicAbsoluteDeterminismComos
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“We must conclude that any proposition (definition) of abstract concepts (linguistically or philosophically) is not necessarily a proposition (definition) of that to which these concepts or propositions (definitions) ought to be applied. This kind of thinking, or definitions coming from such thinking, is inherently false. On the other hand, if the supposed or proposed argument reflected reality, it would be a definition of a fact and not a proposition (“definition”) of an imagined concept. Laplace didn’t show interest in proving that this is the actual reality or even stating it, so it must be that he either imagined his argument as a hypothesis or he believed that this example argument contains enough merits of itself to justify not only the argument but also the fact or truth itself. From our point of view and the idea of the Universal Mind as having a potential for infinite variety, we can conclude that even an “intellect” of a Universal Mind cannot predict and know all the varieties of its potential and the potential of all possible universes in infinity, which saves it from its own perfection while opening the door for infinite potential of the “free will.”

UniverseCosmosFree WillDejan StojanovicAbsoluteDeterminismLaplaceDaniel DennetAbsolute Intellect
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“How can one tell if a being has free will? If one encounters an alien, how can one tell if it is just a robot or it has a mind of its own? The behavior of a robot would be completely determined, unlike that of a being with free will. Thus one could in principle detect a robot as a being whose actions can be predicted. As we said in Chapter 2, this may be impossibly difficult if the being is large and complex. We cannot even solve exactly the equations for three or more particles interacting with each other. Since an alien the size of a human would contain about a thousand trillion trillion particles even if the alien were a robot, it would be impossible to solve the equations and predict what it would do. We would therefore have to say that any complex being has free will—not as a fundamental feature, but as an effective theory, an admission of our inability to do the calculations that would enable us to predict its actions.”

LifeUniverseFree WillDeterminism
Book:The Grand Design
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“Though we feel that we can choose what we do, our understanding of the molecular basis of biology shows that biological processes are governed by the laws of physics and chemistry and therefore are as determined as the orbits of the planets. Recent experiments in neuroscience support the view that it is our physical brain, following the known laws of science, that determines our actions, and not some agency that exists outside those laws. For example, a study of patients undergoing awake brain surgery found that by electrically stimulating the appropriate regions of the brain, one could create in the patient the desire to move the hand, arm, or foot, or to move the lips and talk. It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

UniverseFree WillDeterminism
Book:The Grand Design
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“Suppose it's all a question of glandular secretion. Too much of one gland, too little of another — and you get your murderer, your thief, your habitual criminal. Clement, I believe the time will come when we'll be horrified to think of the long centuries in which we've indulged in what you may call moral reprobation, to think how we've punished people for disease — which they can't help, poor devils. You don't hang a man for having tuberculosis.”

MoralityPunishmentAgencyFree WillDeterminismMoral Reprobation
Book:The Murder at the Vicarage
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“We hold these truths to be self-evident. {Franklin's edit to the assertion in Thomas Jefferson's original wording, 'We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable' in a draft of the Declaration of Independence changes it instead into an assertion of rationality. The scientific mind of Franklin drew on the scientific determinism of Isaac Newton and the analytic empiricism of David Hume and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. In what became known as 'Hume's Fork' the latters' theory distinguished between synthetic truths that describe matters of fact, and analytic truths that are self-evident by virtue of reason and definition.}”

ReasonScienceRightsRationalityNewtonDeclaration Of IndependenceDeterminismTruthsEmpiricismHumeThomas JeffersonIsaac NewtonLeibnizDavid HumeJeffersonGottfried LeibnizGottfried Wilhelm LeibnizAnalytic
Author:Benjamin Franklin
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“And no matter how much the gray people in power despise knowledge, they can’t do anything about historical objectivity; they can slow it down, but they can’t stop it. Despising and fearing knowledge, they will nonetheless inevitably decide to promote it in order to survive. Sooner or later they will be forced to allow universities and scientific societies, to create research centers, observatories, and laboratories, and thus to create a cadre of people of thought and knowledge: people who are completely beyond their control, people with a completely different psychology and with completely different needs. And these people cannot exist and certainly cannot function in the former atmosphere of low self-interest, banal preoccupations, dull self-satisfaction, and purely carnal needs. They need a new atmosphere— an atmosphere of comprehensive and inclusive learning, permeated with creative tension; they need writers, artists, composers— and the gray people in power are forced to make this concession too. The obstinate ones will be swept aside by their more cunning opponents in the struggle for power, but those who make this concession are, inevitably and paradoxically, digging their own graves against their will. For fatal to the ignorant egoists and fanatics is the growth of a full range of culture in the people— from research in the natural sciences to the ability to marvel at great music. And then comes the associated process of the broad intellectualization of society: an era in which grayness fights its last battles with a brutality that takes humanity back to the middle ages, loses these battles, and forever disappears as an actual force.”

KnowledgeSocietyCensorshipDeterminismIntellectual FreedomHistorical Determinism
Book:Hard to Be a God
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“lchiyuken was a low class servant in the kitchen of Lord Takanobu. Because of some grudge he had over a matter of wrestling, he cut down seven or eight men and was hence ordered to commit suicide. But when Lord Takanobu heard of this he pardoned the man and said, "In these strife-torn times of our country, brave men are important. This man would seem to be a man of bravery." Consequently, at the time of the action around the Uji River, Lord Takanobu took Ichiyuken along, and the latter earned unrivaled fame, advancing deep into the lead and plundering the enemy every time . At the battle of Takagi, Ichiyuken went so far into the enemy lines that Lord Takanobu felt regret and called him back. Since the vanguard had been unable to advance, only by quickly dashing out was he able to grab Ichiyuken by the sleeve of his armor. At that time Ichiyuken's head had suffered many wounds, but he had stopped them up with preen leaves which he bound with a thin towel.”

CourageBraveryDeterminismHagakure
Author:Yamamoto Tsunetonmo
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“With determination, discipline and hard work all dreams become a reality.”

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Author:Lailah Gifty Akita
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“We are being inexorably drawn in by a Final cause – the Omega Point – divinity. Divinity = perfect symmetry = the total, flawless alignment of every monad in the Singularity, which equates to the resetting of every monad and the end of a cosmic cycle. This is the moment of Divine Suicide – when all the Gods die. This is Ragnarok. This is Götterdammerung. All the gods must perish. Each cyclical universe must die. Scientists talk of the Heat Death brought about by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. There’s simply no way out.”

PerfectionFree WillDeterminismRagnarokWill To PowerOmega PointDivine Suicide
Book:Free Will and Will to Power
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“I have had my mother's wing of my genetic ancestry analyzed by the National Geographic tracing service and there it all is: the arrow moving northward from the African savannah, skirting the Mediterranean by way of the Levant, and passing through Eastern and Central Europe before crossing to the British Isles. And all of this knowable by an analysis of the cells on the inside of my mouth. I almost prefer the more rambling and indirect and journalistic investigation, which seems somehow less… deterministic.”

HistoryJournalismInvestigationAfricaGeneticsAncestryDeterminismEastern EuropeGenealogyNational GeographicSavannaSub Saharan AfricaMediterranean SeaCentral EuropeBritish IslesLevant
Book:Hitch 22: A Memoir
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“The interpenetration of chance and determination bears on the problem of how there can be a scientific approach to society when individual human behavior and consciousness seem unpredictable. Those who despair to point out that people are not machines, that there are subjective processes in the making of decisions, that it is not 'classes' but individuals who make choices. Terms such as "the human factor" or "subjective factors" with their implication of chance and unpredictability are invoked as the negation of regularity and lawfulness. And indeed it is true that individual behavior and consciousness are the consequences of intersection of a large number of weakly determining factors. But it does not follow that where there is choice, subjectivity, and individuality there cannon also be predictability. The error to take the individual as causally prior to the whole and not to appreciate that the social has causal properties within which individual consciousness and action are formed. While the consciousness of an individual is not determined by his/her class position but is influenced by idiosyncratic factors that appear as random, those random factors operate within a domain and with probabilities that are constrained and directed by social forces.”

ScienceMarxismDeterminismDialectical MaterialismHegelian DialecticChance And NecessityHistorical Materialismter
Book:Biology Under the Influence: Dialectical Essays on Ecology, agriculture, and health
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“gold light burned faintly. From his cosy window seat, Mario was tracing a frost-flower on the windowpane with an unsure finger. Were its perfectly-rendered geometric patterns a product of nature, or were they an artefact of metaphysics? Was the frost-flower to the Masters what a work of Art was to him? Did the Masters of Strings truly control every aspect of reality? The fractal flower slowly melted under Mario’s fingertip. “No work of chance here,” he bitterly thought. “This was by design.”

Free WillDeterminismAngels And DemonsDrug AbusePsychedelicsDrug Addiction RecoveryLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“According to Daniel Dennett and many other philosophers, free will and determinism are compatible. Despite my agreement with this view, I must admit that my way of coming to the same conclusion may be slightly different, contain different motivations, and come from a different perspective. Therefore, this topic deserves further clarification; although findings may be the same, they may be so for different reasons. Even if they would be the same for the same reasons, they might be based not only on different approaches to the same problem but also on a different perspective in viewing the world—understanding the world, the concept of the world, its potential, and its appearance to us.”

Free WillDejan StojanovicDeterminismPhilosophersLaplaceDaniel Dennet
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“At one conference Hameroff told Dennett, publicly, "You know, Dan, maybe the reason you like this [mechanistic] idea is because you're a zombie. And maybe the reason I see things differently is because, I'm not." Hameroff told me he was half-joking. But Dennett took offense. "I wound up apologizing," says Hameroff. "I guess he only likes the idea of being a zombie if we're all zombies.”

ConsciousnessZombiesDeterminism2011Consciousness ExplainedDaniel DennettCompatibilism
Book:Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable-And Couldn't
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“Science is opposed to theological dogmas because science is founded on fact. To me, the universe is simply a great machine which never came into being and never will end. The human being is no exception to the natural order. Man, like the universe, is a machine. Nothing enters our minds or determines our actions which is not directly or indirectly a response to stimuli beating upon our sense organs from without. Owing to the similarity of our construction and the sameness of our environment, we respond in like manner to similar stimuli, and from the concordance of our reactions, understanding is born. In the course of ages, mechanisms of infinite complexity are developed, but what we call 'soul' or 'spirit,' is nothing more than the sum of the functionings of the body. When this functioning ceases, the 'soul' or the 'spirit' ceases likewise. I expressed these ideas long before the behaviorists, led by Pavlov in Russia and by Watson in the United States, proclaimed their new psychology. This apparently mechanistic conception is not antagonistic to an ethical conception of life.”

LifeMindScienceSpiritReligionUniverseGoalNatureConsciousnessPsychologyEnvironmentEthicsPhysicsAstronomyTheologyMaterialismAfterlifeDogmaScience And ReligionCosmologyNaturalismWatsonDeterminismLife After DeathBehaviorismPavlovJohn WatsonFirst CauseStimuliIvan PavlovBehavioristsIvan Petrovich PavlovJohn B WatsonJohn Broadus Watson
Book:Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla
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“Quantum entanglement Quantum entanglement is a sign and subtle proof of the Universal Mind securing the oneness or singularity of the “material” world. This way, the ultimate immaterial reality operates within the “material” reality. The laws of physics are at work with maximum speed, yet the information is ever-present and omnipresent simultaneously, which is, in a way, proof of quantum entanglement. Einstein described the phenomenon of quantum entanglement (particle entanglement, when a particle is in two places simultaneously) as the “spooky action at a distance.” He also said: “I don't believe in quantum physics because I believe the Moon is there even if I am not looking at it.” We agree with Einstein that the Moon is there, whether we look at it or not. We also believe that we cannot affect the position of a particle, either if we look at it or not. It appears as a particle when we look at it because we identify and recognize it. When we don't look at it, it is a wave, an illusion. We do not make any impact on it. We also agree with Einstein that a particle has a definite spin before being measured. Einstein has shown that one particle can affect the other if the signal travels between them faster than the speed of light. On the macro level, if we disregard the micro level of a micro level at which the smallest immaterial indivisible “particles” (not yet discovered) may travel faster than the speed of light, the signal traveling between the “particles” may be faster than the speed of light. It may be at any place at any time. Information is not lost because, on a micro-level of a micro-level, there is an "absolute" velocity (of immaterial “substance,” “particles,” information, messages, “thoughts,” and underlying oneness of reality) that secures the “absolute spacetime” even in the world of plurality which the Universe is. This principle is oneness in a plurality (or singularity in diversity). In this way, the original oneness (singularity) of the primordial Universal Mind of the Absolute is saved even in the world as its manifestation. There can be no plurality without oneness (singularity) simultaneously; otherwise, the world would not be possible. Without the underlying oneness, the world would be a mechanical compilation of "dead matter," incapable of producing any logical or sustainable physical system or the world, not to mention biology and life. Without oneness or singularity, the world would be “existence” without existing, equal to nothingness. Quantum entanglement, securing the instantaneous interconnectivity among the unimaginable number of “material” entities, is the underlying force in action, uniting everything in one superbly interconnected and alive organism. Quantum entanglement also manifests “absolute speed” and nonlocality; otherwise, particles would not have instantaneous interconnectivity. The Universal Mind (Primordial Immaterial Force) is the uniting force of everything. In partnership with emptiness, the Universal Mind is the creator of everything and reality as we see it. • A = ∞p (Where p is potential) Absolute is infinite potential. 0 = ∞ • W = P (Where W is the world or U—universe and P is plurality) • A = P+p (Plurality) Any existing world (Universe) is finite. The Absolute Mind is immaterial and limitless, but it is still limited in itself and any particular manifestation (the world) and infinite in its potential. In other words, it can appear at any time, anywhere, as a specific manifestation, and it can go on (appearing and disappearing in the form of universes) forever ad infinitum. This potential of the Absolute (and the Nothing) for infinity (as a never-achievable goal) is the leading cause (source) of uncertainty, which, ultimately, is the source and basis of free will. Without uncertainty, there is no free will. Determinism excludes uncertainty and, therefore, free will.”

Free WillDejan StojanovicAbsoluteDeterminismUniversal MindEinsteinQuantum Entanglement
Book:ABSOLUTE
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“Of course, the Shtrakenzer bride, though perfect, was not suitable; Mrs. Shpilman knew that. Long before the maid came to say that nobody could find Mendel, that he had disappeared sometime in the course of the night, Mrs. Shilman has known that no degree of accomplishment, beauty, or fire in a girl would ever suit her son. But there was always a shortfall, wasn’t there? Between the match that the Holy One, blessed be He, envisioned and the reality of the situation under the chuppah. Between commandment and observance, heaven and earth, husband and wife, Zion and Jew.”

MarriageRealismJudaismUtopiaDeterminismZionismYiddishArranged MarriageUtopianism
Book:The Yiddish Policemen's Union
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“Puppets and paintbrushes... Mario was well on his thousandth decapitation when it occurred to him these simple objects were mere symbolic manifestations of his deep-seated phobias: fear of failure and fear of success. The first one had stopped him from following his dream; the second had stopped the dream from following him. “To be simultaneously afraid of success and of failure is like going to bed scared and waking up terrified,” he reflected. “Your mind’s all wooden, your head’s screwed on backwards and before you know it, you’re a vermillion blotch on someone else’s canvas and the entire world is pulling your strings.”

Free WillFear Of FailureDeterminismAngels And DemonsPsychedelicsFear Of SuccessLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“Believe in yourself. Determine to pursue your goals.”

BelieveBeliefGoalDeterminationDeterminedBelieverPursueBelieve In YourselfPurpose Of LifeBeliefsYourselfPursuedYour DestinyBelief QuotesGoal SettingYour LifeDetermined SpiritGoals In LifeBelief In GodDeterminismYour JourneyBelieve And AchievePursuit Of KnowledgeBelievingMyselfPursue Your DreamsYourBelief In YourselfDetermined PersonPursue Your PassionGoal Setting TipsPursue ExcellenceMyself QuotesGoal Of LifeDeterminesGoal SuccessMyself Be YourselfPurse Your DestinyDetemine
Author:Lailah Gifty Akita
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“Then there was The House of Future Needs, an old pawn shop that engaged in the sale of utterly useless trinkets. Except, of course, your purchased knickknacks were guaranteed to become “unforeseeably important” in your immediate future. “What is useless today can save your life tomorrow” the shopkeeper advertised, a man rumoured to have glimpsed into the atemporal dimension of Subexistence. Vivian passed the pawn shop a number of times before her cynicism made room for a purchase. ‘So how does this work exactly?’ ‘You see, miss, you have a looksee around, see? And pay attention to what draws you in. Then you go right ahead, see, and take a gander on some of my wares. See if there’s anything that grabs your eye, see?’ was the shopkeeper’s advice. Vivian ended up buying a red eyepatch for no obvious reason. Truth be told, she had wanted an eyepatch ever since Miles Fenn piqued her interest in pirates. All those stories about great sea battles, buccaneer lifestyle and treasure must have rotted her brain.”

DeterminismForeshadowingFree Will QuotesLouise Blackwick QuotesVivian Amberville QuotesThe Book Of ChaosHouse Of Future Needs
Book:The Book of Chaos
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“Mario blinked. His reflection did not. “That’s the odd thing about depression,” Mario reflected, “a human can survive anything, as long as they have a clear end in sight. A purpose. Take that away and they sink like pennies in mire: gently at first and then engulfed without notice by the dark waters of the bog.”

DepressionFree WillDeterminismAngels And DemonsPsychedelicsLouise Blackwick QuotesPurposelessnessJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being. - Albert Einstein, 1936, responding to a child who wrote and asked if scientists pray; quoted in: Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas & Banesh Hoffmann”

ScienceNatureNaturalResearchSuperstitionNaturalismDeterminismMethodological Naturalism
Author:Albert Einstein
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“What time is it?’ ‘Whatever time you want it to be,’ she gave him a cheeky wink. ‘Now be honest, did you ask for free will?’ ‘How did you—?’ Amanita joined Mario beneath the covers. The ethereal Threads tethering her wrists phased through the thick wool blankets like sunlight through a windowpane. ‘The bird that acknowledges its cage only ever sings of freedom,’ she said dreamily.”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismDrug AbusePsychedelicsDrug UseLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“I... I had a dream,’ said Mario through a pained expression, ‘that my life was not my-my-my own. That I didn’t create my own destiny. That my fate was predetermined. Amanita, you don’t think—’ ‘Shush,’ she whispered, placing a finger over his lips, ‘they might hear you...”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismDrug AbusePsychedelicsDrug UseLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyControversial Fiction
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“Something about the gaping hole in the fabric of the cosmos gave him the chills. He leaned over the edge of the opening, expecting to find birds, or similar avian creations of the night’s sky. Instead, he was met with a swarm of unspeakable horrors; winged, pitiful and grotesquely malformed, and to his great stupor, he noticed they had human faces and that they suffered. And as they poured out of the Well of Making, like children from the womb of the eternal feminine, these luciferin creatures spilled onto the world, shrieking in existential agony, for they knew the pain of their mortality.”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismDrug AbusePsychedelicsDrug UseLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyCosmic Fiction
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“There were wires coming out of Amanita’s olive skin. Thin-as-hairs and in the colour of silver, the threads appeared to descend from the bedroom ceiling (without physically being tethered to it) only to wrap themselves securely around the woman’s unsuspecting wrists. Mario rubbed his eyes raw, trying to dispense with the illusion. Amanita noticed him looking and pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. As she moved, the white-metallic Thread followed her gesture without ever detaching from her wrist. Mario automatically beheld his own hands. They were not shackled. “She isn’t free!”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismDrug AbusePsychedelicsDrug UseLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyCosmic Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“Sometimes we must allow our locked-and-tethered inner demon a short glimpse beyond the bars,” thought Mario, “lest we forget the full extent of our virtue. One’s power does not reside in the length of their demon’s claw, but in the strength of its manacle. The unleashed demon is worthless, lest it’s controlled.”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismAngels And DemonsDrug AbusePsychedelicsLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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“The demon looked insulted. ‘You don’t like the Underworld, brother?’ ‘Can’ff ssay I do,’ spoke Mario through the curved claw held firmly between his teeth. ‘Much bffetter up tffhere!’ he pointed at the amber-glowing canopy perched at the very top of the World Tree. ‘Yeah but that seems like—,’ the green-eyed demon paused, as though he was bracing himself for something. ‘–work,’ he finally said. The word alone seemed to cause him unimaginable disgust. ‘How about you put that rock down and come waste time with us at the pit?”

Free WillDrug AddictionDeterminismAngels And DemonsDrug AbusePsychedelicsLouise Blackwick QuotesJungian ArchetypesThe Underworld RhapsodyPuppets On Strings
Book:The Underworld Rhapsody
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