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Candyland Is Pointless

 Did you know that there isn't even luck or chance in Candyland? The outcome is determined before you start. I made the mistake of saying that it was pointless, and someone said it was "deterministic," not pointless. He went on to say that "pointless" was a value judgment. You don't say?

I guess if you really think about it, you can figure out my views on the weirdly popular, evergreen debate in theology, with respect to God's sovereignty, and humanity's free will. Even the strict Thomists have to be careful, in my book.

You may be asking yourself, "If he doesn't like determinism, why does he watch the same movie over and over again?" I don't know, really. But it wasn't determined before it was made. And if you haven't seen it, it's not determined for you. Suppose I just like a happy story. Or at least a redemptive one. If you want to call me a hypocrite, that's fine, but at least I won't be a programmed hypocrite.

I also have very defined and passionate food preferences, which is probably a manifestation of, "By golly, I'm not in control of much, but I'm going to control something!" I might as well be unguarded for a moment.

Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. It kind of ruined the cereal for me, when I found out that Trix is all the same flavor, regardless of the color or shape. Don't take a food science course, if you like your breakfast cereal. And don't ask me to play Candyland.

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TGWWS said…
Ooohhh why should we watch the same movie (or read the same book) over and over, if we don't care for determined things? I'll bite.

I think it is because really good actors/directors/writers are good precisely at showing us how things AREN'T determined. To take Pride and Prejudice (one of my favorite novels): I reread it because Austen shows how the characters get to where they get by their free choices. Every time I reread, I see more clearly how their outcomes are determined not by some fate, but by their own decisions and those of other people. Ditto for movies I watch and rewatch, like The Scarlet and the Black or The Music Man.
7:01 PM
Jason said…
Hello there!

I'm with you; I re-experience things constantly. I can't say the objection here is tightly argued, in the Feingoldian sense. :)
5:14 PM
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