Determinism is repugnant. In all its innumerable manifestations, it always presents itself in a mediocre and infamous aspect. However, there are things that cause astonishment. For example, the men of letters. To glimpse all the conjuncture they face, and still dedicate a life to the construction of a work… Deprivation, renunciation, anguish, humiliation… And there they are, overcoming obstacles, with an unjustifiable determination, facing a horizon free of any compensation, working day after day. The explanation only lies in a kind of duty, incomprehensible to most, and which exceeds the rational sense. Individual motivation may well lead to insanity, as long as it abstains from the use of reason. It is hard not to say about these men that they are stimulated by something that goes beyond them…
The Men of Letters
