grgr: overcoming of metaphysics

[Terrance]

Paul Mackin wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, Terrance wrote:
> >
> > Does Heidegger agree with St. Augustine on free will? What
> > does Pynchon think of free will?
> >
> 
> In H's early theological studying years his "power of the will" views were
> probably as pessimistic as A's, but later he may have swung toward "will
> to power." Just being catty.
> 
> I can't really visualize a Pynchoneon view on free will. It's too much a
> theological question. Sure P must be strong on the power of the
> Unconscious.


I think Pynchon's view of free will is the most grim and
pessimistic of the three. Even the System, They/We, Them,
The Firm, The Empire is not free, but caught in an cycle of
power that an inherent weakness will undermine and flip or
flop or maybe chance or luck will reverse it again. The S&M,
the long  daisy chain of destroyed and destroyers, victims
and victimizers. St. Augustine's view includes free will.
While St Augustine is a Platonist in most things,  In On the
Free Choice of the Will he claims that nothing can make the
mind a slave or a companion of desire except its own will
and free choice. His radical reading of Genesis distances
him from the Platonic view again, the world's genesis does
not follow a pre-existing plan as in Plato,  but by the
creative free will of God and man. In Heidegger, we could
say that the God and Man of Genesis become Being and Dasein,
different names, but co-creators. In Pynchon, even the
artist seems to be caught in a cycle of flip/flop history.
Both St. Augustine and Heidegger are dialecticians, but
Pynchon is only a dialectician proper, his arguments,
contests, singing battles, musical debates, do not resolve
but flip or flop by luck or chance or some karmic
reward/punishment perhaps.