tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post4675181419862234930..comments2023-11-07T06:20:12.181-08:00Comments on Tolkien: Medieval and Modern: Free Will"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"http://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-30027936300585645822014-06-06T14:20:54.380-07:002014-06-06T14:20:54.380-07:00I fully agree with the earlier commenters; you rai...I fully agree with the earlier commenters; you raise a number of interesting parallels in this "fundamentally Christian" work that merit further exploration. Free will is an interesting concept--truly, how is it that beings limited in scope can perceive the Will and Nature of the One who is truly infinite? To our understanding, mortal men are not merely automata--I make the distinction because, as noted in the comments, the elves are considered "fated"--and thus are possessed of control of their faculties. It becomes a big question of faith: how can God have a plan for the world while we have free will within His creation?<br /><br />It certainly can be tied to the idea that we are transient. We live, we think and act--create our legacy--we die and fade. Because we're not around forever, it is easy to see how ideas may grow and fade, accumulating towards a cohesive whole. The elves, however, have life so long as Arda has life. They are apart--consider, ideas may grow, develop, fester, for millennia without fading. They deepen, sure, but they do not readily overturn. Could this be why the elves were fated to leave Middle Earth? They are fixed in time and though, while men are capable of free development?<br />-MAM"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-84873965710961957482014-05-05T08:59:26.595-07:002014-05-05T08:59:26.595-07:00I think you're largely correct that Tolkien is...I think you're largely correct that Tolkien is exploring certain aspects of Christian theology in these parts of the Silmarillion, but I worry that your argument is a little too fragmented. While each point you raise is a ground for worthwhile contemplation, all too often you jump to another point without digging more deeply. For instance, you raise the interesting issue of the relation of free will and mortality, which I think is really worth thinking about. The elves are considered the more "fated" race in Tolkien's world, while men are free. Is there some fundamental connection between this and the fact that elves are immortal (perhaps simply "fading away" in the end) and men fated to die (interesting that there is one sense in which men definitely are fated)? As you note, death is not presented as entirely negative, it is in some sense a gift, how? These are the sorts of deeper questions that it would have been wonderful to see explored, rather than simply raised. dyingsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02087241514388178221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-49696760508691190832014-05-03T16:54:54.037-07:002014-05-03T16:54:54.037-07:00I really liked your post and enjoyed thinking abou...I really liked your post and enjoyed thinking about some of the Christian parallels Tolkien used in The Silmarillion. I think you hit the nail on the head when you say that Iluvatar “allowed” Melkor to corrupt the music, and fall into evil, for the purposes of His own glory. Without the fall allowed by free will, there is so much we would not be able to see or understand. (I am not saying the fall of Adam and Eve was a good thing in itself, but I believe God brought good from its painful results). How could we know the incredible grace and mercy of God if we couldn't see the evil in ourselves or the world? Or how would we know good from bad and be able to see that God is good as well as just? In allegory (which I know Tolkien would dislike), how would we know light without darkness, or heat without cold? <br />I would guess that Tolkien was probably aware of this idea and used it in his stories, just like he used parts of Christian theology and fundamental ideas from scripture.<br />Anyway, I enjoyed your post and good job! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17962373508150504832noreply@blogger.com