Free Will, Consequence, and the Divine Play
I. The Question of Freedom I have been studying Spinoza recently. He was a brilliant philosopher, though perhaps he published some of his ideas before they were fully developed. What strikes me most about him is how he blurs the lines between free will and cause . I, however, believe in free will. Yet I also see that free will operates within a larger law of consequence — a universal order so consistent that it cannot be ignored. Getting what you want will not always make you happy; sometimes, your choices plant seeds that bloom into sorrow. You can choose to steal, for example, but you cannot choose the ultimate outcome of that act. II. The Universal Law of Consequence Why is it that every hidden act eventually brings its result into the light? Because the universe is wired for this. In the fourth chapter of Genesis , Cain kills his brother Abel. When God asks, “Cain, what did you do?” the answer is already written into the act itself. Cain is not prevented from committin...