Vonnegut / Time Question

I have a question for the serious Vonnegut readers and scholars out
there.

I've noticed in some recent interviews that Vonnegut talks about how
"the past may have been caused by the future".

Then I noticed this passage in _A Man Without A Country_:

"Might not it be possible, then, that the Second World War was a cause
of the first one? Otherwise, the first one remains inexplicable
nonsense of the most gruesome kind. Or try this: Is it possible that
seemingly incredible geniuses like Bach and Shakespeare and Einstein
were not in fact superhuman, but simply plagiarists, copying great
stuff from the future?"

Now I know that some of this relates to his themes of coming unstuck in
time and the way that the Tralfamadorians see time in four dimensions,
etc., but I think he's even going in a different direction here.

So my two questions are:

1.) Does Vonnegut actually believe that the future causes the past?
Does he believe in Determinism or Fatalism? (He obviously doesn't
believe in Free Will.)

Or is he just joking or trying to get us to participate in some kind of
"thought experiment"?

2) What exactly is Vonnegut trying to say?

I am so confused and fascinated by this because it seems to come up
again and again in his work and interviews, although he never fully
explains it to my satisfaction.

Any help or opinions on this would be enjoyed.

Hi Jeff
Sorry for butting in like this, but I'm recording a Q/A programme
with Kurt Vonnegut on Slaughterhouse Five next Saturday, and am on the
hunt for interesting questions to ask him. I know the ones below are
more general - but wonder if you would like to ask him something
relating to S F.

Could you also possibly let anyone else who might be interested know?
They can email us at: worldbookclub DeleteThis @bbc.co.uk and we need questions by
Wednesday 27th April mid day.

Many thanks
Bella



> 1.) Does Vonnegut actually believe that the future causes the past?
> Does he believe in Determinism or Fatalism? (He obviously doesn't
> believe in Free Will.)
>
> Or is he just joking or trying to get us to participate in some kind of
> "thought experiment"?
>
> 2) What exactly is Vonnegut trying to say?
>
> I am so confused and fascinated by this because it seems to come up
> again and again in his work and interviews, although he never fully
> explains it to my satisfaction.
>
> Any help or opinions on this would be enjoyed.