Why Do the Religious Reject Science While Embracing the Impossible?

[Alexiev]

In BigMike’s big philosophical novel his protagonist and proponent will require at least one antagonist who opposes his Master Plan of social renovation according to Determinist Doctrines.

I assume that this antagonist or perhaps an antagonist community would necessarily be presented as being unhappy, unsatisfied, unsuccessful types who too much believe in the illusion of free choice and constantly fail as a result. All this could be “shown” without any authorial dissertation. Certainly people who believe in retributive justice.

The Hero would, naturally, have a sciency background and, at the start, be shown to fail (personally, professionally, in business, in love?) until the Doctrine of Determinism lands on him and effectively hatches a New Man — cognizant of the chains, wheels and currents of the Causal Web. But how to show that the New Doctrines change and transform him? From what to what? There might be some crisis, an accident? that presents him with the Inexorable tendency in our determined world.

Perhaps he crosses paths with a woman ( is always a good subtext for a novel) who lives an utterly determined life — like a victim of abuse who channels her rage into a career as a Ninja-like assassin (specialist in poisons). She comes under his influence and, without thought, without moral self-struggle, simply walks away from her bag of venomous concoctions one day and becomes an enlightened organic farmer …

Just some initial thoughts …

Perhaps those who disagreed with materialist determinism could be "ignored".

We could have the opposite of an Ayn Rand novel germinating.

[Immanuel Can]

My goal isn’t to craft a literary masterpiece, but to explore something deeper: to challenge the idea that determinism strips away our humanity.

That's the problem. Good writers write because the story is good, and powerful, and fresh, and interesting, and because the characters are engaging to them in their personal complexity and depth -- not because it will serve some ideological objective they're trying to sneak through. And people don't read novels to be preached at. The worst novels are always those where the reader starts to realize he's being "handled" by the author, not actually provided a good story.

What you need, then, is to hold a mirror up to the truth of how life actually is, as you see it, and what's interesting in life. You need meaningful conflict, rounded characters, surprising events and some sort of outcome that brings sense to what you've written.

Here's what you need to do: forget the preaching goals. Just write a good story. And because you're you, your worldview will bleed through it, no matter what you write. Then trust your readers to "get it" on their own...don't try to spoon-feed them your ideology. And if your writing is good, and it's authentic and honest, then people will get the message far more powerfully than if you tried to rig it for them.

So here's some advice, Mike: fall in love with the story. Then make us love it. Forget the agenda. If the story needs one, it will get it by osmosis, from the authenticity of what you offer.

[Immanuel Can]

We could have the opposite of an Ayn Rand novel germinating.

Ayn Rand was a middle-rank philosopher, and a dismal novelist; one beloved only by those who love the ideology already, and those who really don't care for a good story. Any thought of replicating her over-managed, didactic and turgid type of narrative is a very bad idea. There are so many better models.

[henry quirk]

You're all makin' way too much of Mike's writing.

This is what his novel is, or will be, about...

F5375319-2F40-4821-9631-713C12B34E79.jpeg

It can't, by definition (his), be about anything else.

[Immanuel Can]

You're all makin' way too much of Mike's writing.

This is what his novel is, or will be, about...F5375319-2F40-4821-9631-713C12B34E79.jpegIt can't, by definition (his), be about anything else.

Just trying to be helpful.

But yeah, it's just about meat. It can't be about a person, since one mere cluster of causally-driven materials (i.e. person) is pretty much indistinct from another cluster of such materials. In neither case does what they do have anything to do with personhood. These are going to be booooring characters, for sure. And I'm not sure how much interest he can get from a plot driven solely and exclusively by fate, either...even if he can manage to imagine what that would even look like.

[accelafine]

You're all makin' way too much of Mike's writing.

This is what his novel is, or will be, about...F5375319-2F40-4821-9631-713C12B34E79.jpegIt can't, by definition (his), be about anything else.

Just trying to be helpful.

But yeah, it's just about meat. It can't be about a person, since one mere cluster of causally-driven materials (i.e. person) is pretty much indistinct from another cluster of such materials. In neither case does what they do have anything to do with personhood. These are going to be booooring characters, for sure. And I'm not sure how much interest he can get from a plot driven solely and exclusively by fate, either...even if he can manage to imagine what that would even look like.

And we've all noticed what a great writer you are You are such a nasty little turd.

[accelafine]

So IC has proselytised you to the nth degree. Got it.

I've tried so hard with Henry...[ sniff] But he just won't take the programming.

Cuz I'm a free will...

Well I suppose when you live in a shit-hole then you would have to believe that you chose to--the alternative would be insanity-inducing.
You are also full of crap. You never used to be a religioturd like your lover IC.

[Alexiev]

We could have the opposite of an Ayn Rand novel germinating.

Ayn Rand was a middle-rank philosopher, and a dismal novelist; one beloved only by those who love the ideology already, and those who really don't care for a good story. Any thought of replicating her over-managed, didactic and turgid type of narrative is a very bad idea. There are so many better models.

Gee, IC, Rand hated the commies as much as you do. Her novels were turgid attempts to support her philosophy, as I suspect BM's will be.

[accelafine]

I suppose I should be more empathetic towards the vile IC since his odiousness was preordained at the subatomic level. Probably a hideously off-key note or something. Poor thing.

[Alexiev]

Duplicate

[accelafine]

And poor Henry can only write one sentence at a time, three if he really, really tries, but they tend to be lacking numerous parts of speech and large spaces are needed (so we can fill in the blanks?). Unfortunately the Big Bang determined that he would be illiterate

[Alexiev]

I suppose I should be more empathetic towards the vile IC since his odiousness was preordained at the subatomic level. Probably a hideously off-key note or something. Poor thing.

Happy Holidays to you, too.

[accelafine]

Ugh. 'Happy holidays'. Another loathesome Americanism. I just wish Americans would shove their collective phoniness up their collective arse.

[Immanuel Can]

Gee, IC, Rand hated the commies as much as you do.

She did. She had experience of them, so she had good reason. But I think her kind of devil-take-the-hindmost elitism is not much of a curative for the devil-take-the-proletariat elitism of Communism.

[Alexiev]

Ugh. 'Happy holidays'. Another loathesome Americanism. I just wish Americans would shove their collective phoniness up their collective arse.

And may your New Year bring you the joy and kindness you deserve!