The problem with this life thing is, nobody knows what to want.

Every social institution is built around a kernel of necessary bullshit. None of us believes is, but in order for the thing to hold together it is crucial that we all SAY we believe it.

The fundamentalist is one who mistakes the game, and accidentally believes the bullshit.

Who among us has not made this mistake at one time or another?

We say we have an "intuitive" grasp of the things we know but cannot explain.

Man is a network.

The aesthetic enjoyment of tragedy. We know that it's just a story, and at the same time we recognize that it's very real. Our recognition off--and feeling of detachment from--the emotional content is what makes the thing enjoyable. We understand it could happen to us, we know how it would feel, and we see ourselves as contemplating it all from a safe distance. This ironic, distanced view of life's drama characterizes the best of our human experience, I think.

It's just that I don't believe in revelation. Or rather, I believe in the experience of revelation, but I think the contents of revelation need to be mediated through reason in order to become a part of social reality. Reason is the tool for conveying private truths publicly.

Of course you can never see your own future, because once you've seen it, it's no longer your future. You could see the future of things over which you have no causal influence, of course. But why would you want to do that?