Comments on: What I’m reading now http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/ Reading and Writing History and Fiction (and sometimes food) Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:37:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: lucypick http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/comment-page-1/#comment-45 lucypick Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:59:26 +0000 http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/#comment-45 Yes, I think so. Yes, I think so.

]]> By: Thomas http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/comment-page-1/#comment-44 Thomas Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:57:07 +0000 http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/#comment-44 Hi Lucy, In your sense of the word 'free', is a character "free" when he or she performs bad actions as well as good ones? Hi Lucy,

In your sense of the word ‘free’, is a character “free” when he or she performs bad actions as well as good ones?

]]> By: lucypick http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/comment-page-1/#comment-43 lucypick Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:14:12 +0000 http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/#comment-43 They are only free when they act. The action can be good or bad or neutral. Freedom here is conceived of not as an abstract state of being; it is something that only exists when it used. The action is itself the freedom. The message may resound as pessimistic to those who are believers in a kind of can-do optimism: "You can be and do and have anything if you only just set your mind to it and work really hard." (With the unspoken corollary that if your life is not what you would wish, you obviously haven't worked hard enough. Bleah.) Not to me. They are only free when they act. The action can be good or bad or neutral. Freedom here is conceived of not as an abstract state of being; it is something that only exists when it used. The action is itself the freedom.
The message may resound as pessimistic to those who are believers in a kind of can-do optimism: “You can be and do and have anything if you only just set your mind to it and work really hard.” (With the unspoken corollary that if your life is not what you would wish, you obviously haven’t worked hard enough. Bleah.) Not to me.

]]> By: Thomas http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/comment-page-1/#comment-42 Thomas Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:41:11 +0000 http://lucypick.com/2008/01/24/what-im-reading-now-5/#comment-42 Hi Lucy, (Note that I have only read the first quarter of the book so far.) I don't fully understand what you mean by 'free' when you say that the characters are only free when they perform good actions. What sense of 'free' are you using here? (Presumably as a result of the same non-understanding, I don't see why the message would resound as pessimistic.) Hi Lucy,

(Note that I have only read the first quarter of the book so far.)

I don’t fully understand what you mean by ‘free’ when you say that the characters are only free when they perform good actions. What sense of ‘free’ are you using here?

(Presumably as a result of the same non-understanding, I don’t see why the message would resound as pessimistic.)

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