Tuesday
12:23 a.m.
Internet address: pinker at wjh period Harvard period edu
pinker@wjh.Harvard.edu
October 8, 2008
Steve,
Your conclusions regarding free-will are identical to mine, except: Free-will is not some vestigial appendage which is at most a nuisance, perhaps a bit troubling. Free-will is not a superfluous rash which can be taken or left according to personal whim; a simple virus which will go away in a couple of days. Much to the contrary, free-will is a virulent malignancy. Living in a determined universe as if it were a free-will universe has created the social environment in which we now live. That is a profound reality. Free will's virulence can be easily traced throughout history. Modern history has seen our planet's ecosystem become saturated with this cancer. It is so pervasive it cannot be quarantined. There is nowhere left to run. Though many may be able to milk the free-will cow for temporal gains, there are not many who would disagree that if mankind continues on the course it is presently on; if mankind continues to breathe water as if it is air, not only will the uneducated masses face extinction, but the intellectual elite will as well; not only will the down and dirty poverty stricken masses be annihilated, but the filthy rich will as well. To date, best of intentioned leaders such as Al Gore, Barack Obama and, bless his soul, Ralph Nader, have been addressing symptoms and not the disease. The disease is free-will. The disease is free-will. The disease is free-will. As an Ivy League educated humanitarian you cannot simply conclude, this intuitive thing mankind holds close to its heart is an illusion, and then go merrily on your way to study anecdotal non-essentials. You have cancer! Your mother has cancer! Every one of your relatives has cancer! Likely enough, you have passed this cancer on to your children. All of your friends have cancer. Mankind has a virulent form of potentially fatal cancer! You and every thing you Love and hold dear are going to die! And not just die, but live and die an excruciating death. Unless this cancer is decisively confronted the prognosis for mankind is at best a few decades. It may be too late already. So, eat, drink and be merry; lecture, examine the intricacies of language and eat at nice restaurants, for tomorrow we die! It doesn't have to be this way. I no longer have cancer. Well, I've been in remission since spring of 2005. The cure isn't declaring determinism the winner. The cure is...
I have no credentials. The free-will mindset being what it is, nobody has any reason to listen to me. In a free-will society, Truth without credentials is worth less than shit. So, go ahead and write me off. Tell your secretary to tell me you're not in. Better yet, don't say anything. I'll be disappointed, but at least I won't run the risk of a heart attack! I apologize for this bit of cynicism, sort of. I'm not frantic or mindlessly pacing the few square feet beneath my feet. This is a determined universe and what will be, will be, so there's no real sweat involved. My functioning "I" is simply doing what must be done and my conscious "I" is on the seat of his pants watching the show! It's a real cliffhanger! Drama that qualifies Shakespeare to be a writer for NOGGIN!
I have read much of what you and others have written concerning the present intuitive social mindset. I do respect your credentials and the unique position you occupy. The patient is all but brain dead and on life support. The patient desperately needs a point man; a person who comprehends the critical nature of the disease and is willing to risk fame and fortune to put the paddles securely on bare skin and shock the patient's heart back into a rhythm that compliments nature rather than opposes nature. I believe this person is you. Let me know if I am wrong so I can look elsewhere. Free will or no free-will, this is an incredible opportunity that is unprecedented in human history.
With much sincerity,
Ronald K. Olson
465 W. Wright Ave. Apt 7
Shepherd, Michigan 48889
419-388-3275
You have my e-mail address
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