[Randallw]

That it says "lies" does give it a different dimension.

I think of it as applying to nature. We think that there is a fairness to the universe, do right by others and everything will be alright for you, but Mother nature doesn't answer to the excuse "It's not fair". Think of a saint who goes through life being kind to others and being chartiable. Then they develop cancer. Where's the justice in that?. Me personally, things happen, there's no point being upset at what you can't change.

A similar topic is from the Moral Philosophy class in Starship Troopers. Imagine a man floating in the middle of the ocean. Eventually he will tire and drown. The sea doesn't care. There's no mercy from nature.

Another quote, from a Science of Discworld book,although I can't exactly remember it, is that literature is necessary for mankind to strive. It is where the grasping ape becomes the hand that grasps the stars, or something like that. It proposes we shouldn't be Homo Sapiens "the knowledgable man" but Pan Narrans "the storytelling ape".

Edit: Intellectually, which after all is what I consider this whole discussion to be, I get that last bit, although I do have some trouble with the two learned authors whole atheist angle.