Fate vs. Science

Fate vs. Science: Why speak about it? And can they be reconciled?

Thus far in Middlesex, Cal has spoken a lot about the "how" part of why he is a hermaphrodite, right down to the pair of miscreant (or "revolutionaries" as Cal puts it) genes on chromosome #5 that stop the production of a certain hormone. Knowing the exact chain of events behind a life-altering ordeal is comforting. To be able to understand "how" something happens makes a person feel as if, in some capacity, they have control over it. But chalking it all up to science only goes so far. Cal can read over and over about the science of how he came to be, but science cannot tell him WHY he is, and more importantly, WHO he is. Only through rationalizing that it was his fate that he was born with ambiguous genitalia, can Cal come to terms with his own identity.

Ally

P.S. I keep trying to Italicize the title, but it won't work.