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Bakker XXXIV: Waiting for Grimdark (update: it’s here!)


Happy Ent

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his choice alone,

well, that would be the indeterminist or compatibilist reading of it, i.e., that allows for human freedom in one way or another. the determinist riposte would be that the 'choice' is mere phenomenal appearance, rather than noumenal reality, and is always already structured by the history that led up to the alleged 'choice,' and, were AK to be able to repeat that moment infinitely, he would always 'choose' the same result because the same chain of causality stretches behind him, i.e., there is no set of facts in that moment that cause him to go the other way. we might say that there were possible alternatives for him in that moment, i.e., physical, corporeal options possible for him as a matter of space and time--but these alternatives were nevertheless aesthetic or ethical or political impossibilities, as evidenced by the mere fact that he elected something else in spite of the known alternatives. unknown alternatives, not epistemologically possible, might not be considered as significant 'options' or 'choices,' insofar as they were not known to him and were therefore neither elected nor declined; that said, the fact these alleged alternatives were not known to him is itself a determined result, with its own chain of causality stretching back to the beginning of the universe.

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It's not necessary that Kellhus meant that he had free will in that sense. Kellhus is constantly making 'decisions' throughout the series, it might be that all his actions were determined by what comes before, but that doesn't mean that another person determines and controls all his actions.



It's the difference between Achamian going to the north 'of his own will' and of him being conditioned into going to the north by Kellhus. In both cases, his actions were determined by what comes before, but in the first case we can loosely say that it was his own decision (as opposed to someone else's), in the latter his decision was made by Kellhus.


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Someone want to use this updated thread opener for Bakker XXXV: Whatever The Fuck You Guys Are Calling It This Time. Thanks

This is the perpetual thread devoted to the works of R. Scott Bakker, primarily the books in The Second Apocalypse series, the first of which is The Darkness that Comes Before.

The current publication status is 5 volumes of novels, including the latest, The White-Luck Warrior, as well as 3 short stories, The False Sun and The Four Revelations of Cinial'jin on Bakker's Blog Three Pound Brain and The Knife of Many Hands, which is available for purchase. This thread contains spoilers for these publications.

Since Bakker's writing uses layers of revelation, newcomers are strongly advised to finish the books before coming here; otherwise the spoilers will rot your soul. Eternally.

Most denizens of this thread have also read Bakker's non-fantasy novels Neuropath and Disciple of the Dog, but the spoiler policy is unclear. You are advised to hide crucial plot points in those novels.

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I was trying to think of a tie in like when we had "Non-Man of Steel" and "Pacific Rim Job" but the movies out currently don't lend themselves to it and I can't think of anything witty enough to go with Age of Ultron.

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