> A friend of mine at the U of Michigan mentioned a short story by O'Henry
> which he used in introduction-to-philosophy classes to illustrate the
> meaning of "fatalism" and distinguish it from other determinist etc
> perspectives. The story begins three times, with each time the
> protagonist (a young man in a sheephereding-village) making a totally
> different choice, leading to a totally different life, but each life
> ends with his being killed with the same set of dueling pistols. If
> anyone knows of this story one might send it to relevant parties
> off-list so thay might stop being a disgrace to the faculties of Yale
> and Virginia.
>
> Carrol
>
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Now why would anyone want to do that given the fact that your own podium pounding on the issue, led no doubt by the invisible hand, continually undermines the utter malleability and interminably contestable distinctions between those terms and their meanings...........:-)
Oh, Henry indeed!
Ian