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In other words, divine providence cannot eliminate the element of chance except by eliminating the free decisions of the many individuals other than God that any possible world also involves. The only conception of providence that would exclude every element of chance would also exclude all other decision-making individuals, which means, simply, all individuals period – -- a non-decision-making individual being a contradiction in terms. But, then, providence, absurdly, would be without any world of other individuals, which is to say, creatures, to provide for.

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