Kids

[Paul Mackin]

On Sun, 25 Jun 2000, Terrance wrote:

> Yes, theologically, but the means / ends  was reversed 
> (kinda like technology today). Weber's "Iron Cage" may be a
> plastic one or the "windowless glass monad" or a plastic
> Platonic Cave or Imipolex Blake. What? More on this later.
> It's the SPIRIT of capitalism (did Pynchon as I suspect,
> read Mumford?) that slouched towards AMerica to be born. One
> must regard one's self as Elect, the lack of conviction and
> intensity would be viewed as weakness of faith and one must
> do "good works" in the economy to demonstrate one's
> convictions and faith. God's hand? Invisible hand (one of
> the terms Pynchon digs, all twisted away from its origin)? 

yes, a leap from Adam Smith's meaning when in the early pages of
the book the words from beyond (Rolands?) equate the Invisible
Hand with God whereas the free market is supposed to work without any
intentionality (including God's) other than each buyer and seller wishing
to maximize his gain. It all works by a great big differential
equation but of course in fairness to P's image it was God who set up the
equation. The cartel frustrates God's mathematics and is therefore, like
the war, a rejection of God.

Not Terrance's main point I know, just a bit of additional color.

			P.