GRGR (2) "great bright hand"

[Paul Mackin]

calbert at pop.tiac.net wrote:  (commenting on MalignD)

>
> > On the other hand--
> >
> > In reformation theology, grace is absolute, all or nothing, paradoxical; one
> > is separated from God or not; it is a qualitative state, not quantitative.
>
> Might not this correspond to Pointsman's concern with the
> integers....
>
>
> > This as opposed to the Catholic church's quantitative, relativistic
> > notion--good works or their absence leaves one more or less close to grace.
> > Seen this way, Mexico and Pointsman would seem to shift seats somewhat and my
> > little analogy begin to collapse ...
>
> ....and Mexico's with the space between them?
>

Yes I thought so too.  The slightly odd thing  in Pynchon's treatment of the
different preoccupations of the two is that a behaviorist working  in 1944 would
as a general research practice be making his cause and effect inferences on the
basis of not just one but a number of experimental subjects and would be using
sampling theory to control for random variations between them. In other words he
would be as dependent on the  values between one and zero as Roger.  (course there
was only ONE  Slothrop)

                                                                            P.