Story, Meaning, and Teleology

Story requires not merely events but meaningful movement toward fulfillment.

  • Does existence have an end or telos?
  • Can an event's meaning be unknown until later?
  • Does the future in some sense illuminate the past?
  • Is destiny fixed, participatory, or both?
  • What is the difference between providence and fatalism?
  • How can freedom exist within a meaningful plot?
  • Does God “write” every event, or can characters genuinely improvise?
  • How can tragedy belong within providence without saying God wills evil?