David Swan

David Swan

This one is very short, but it's philosophical and I will still be thinking about it tomorrow. Are we as sleepers, unaware of the opportunities that pass us by? Hawthorne would have us believe that every day we are exposed to myriad chances for fortune or misfortune. And then he takes the idea further by suggesting that the fact that amidst all this unknown possibility, some things occur that can be expected and predicted, therefore that proves a superintending Providence. Well, he doesn't say "proves", he says argues a superintending Providence...

A statement like that will fix in my brain. All night long I will be thinking of ways to dispute this argument. What did he mean? When he writes, is Hawthorne presenting a thought or belief he holds, or is he merely throwing a provocative theory out there for argument's sake?

There is chaos. There is some order. Therefore there is supernatural design.

No, I don't buy that logic, and I don't think he did either. But I will think about it for a couple of days nonetheless.