Platt (to Bodvar): So on three counts, SOM intellect has not and can not regulate society with anything other than detrimental effect. The survey of students mentioned at the outset above reveals SOM's destruction of essential social constraints.But, that's just the tip of the iceberg. A much more significant outcome of SOM's damage to the general welfare in the name of the "public good" is the current economic crisis.
Since SOM intellect is so damaging as I've outlined above and by going "too far" as you say, I cannot help but wonder why Pirsig didn't come out more strongly for less intellectual (government) control of society except to protect individual rights and promote free markets. But, nobody's perfect. :-) Hi Platt and Bodvar, Hope you do not mind me jumping in here but you 'tickled' my social worker side. The survey you talk about is a result of SOM 'intellect', SOM reasoning. 'The cause of our current social crisis, he (Phaedreus) would have said, is a genetic defect within the nature of reason itself' (ZMMp 110). 'Now it is not just depressingly dull, it's also phoney...stylized cars,,,motors...food...clothes...children. You have to be awfully stylish yourself not to get sick of it once it a while'(ZMM pp285/6). And I agree with Pirsig who then argues that this is so because 'no one has ever told them that there's such a thing as Quality...'.(And that they are a [static/dynamic] 'representation' of Quality. In this sense we have to be careful to not only blame the victim Platt (I hear what you say though) but it is not onesided. I do not think these kids are evil. I think they are reacting to something that is fundamentally missing in their lives and Pirsig sums it up pretty well. If you are interested (and if appropriate for this forum) I can relate some ways the Chinese system deals with their children. (otherwise perhaps privately) For what it's worth. Andre Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
