How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
[Jessica] heard the testing quality in [Kynes's] voice, said, "Growth is limited by that necessity which is present in the least amount. And, naturally, the least favorable condition controls the growth rate." (6.169)
And now fate and free will connect to the theme of "Man and the Natural World." How about that? Kynes suggests that the ecology of an environment is fated based on the least favorable condition of that ecology. Now that we think about it, this quote also connects to water in our "Symbols" section, since water symbolizes the scarcest resource in an ecological system.
Quote #5
Does every human have this blind spot? [Hawat] wondered. Can any of us be ordered into action before he can resist? The idea staggered him. Who could stop a person with such power? (17.187)
Interesting question there, Hawat. Is the difference between fate and free will simply the question of whether or not we are blind to our own manipulation? If so, then who pulls the strings? These questions could lead down some pretty dark rabbit holes.
Quote #6
The thing was a spectrum of possibilities from the most remote past to the most remote future—from the most probably to the most improbably. He saw his own death in countless ways. (22.99)
It's the Schrödinger's cat of philosophical inquires—only the thought experiment is a little less enjoyable when you're the cat.