On 8 May 2009 at 18:11, Andre Broersen wrote: > Platt to Andre: > You present a nice capsule summary of SOM philosophy supporting > America's free market culture, currently being challenged by an influx > of European socialist doctrine. Whether I hold to the static patterns > you cite as the basis for American culture is now more or less mute > because of the insights of the MOQ. As you know, it gives a new > basis for supporting free markets. > > Andre: > Hi Platt: Can you explain to me how Pirsig, or for that matter the MoQ > supports the 'American free market culture' when it is grounded in: > 1) the subjective egocentric religious doctrine of Protestantism and the > individualistic political doctrine, grounded in Descartes,Malebranche, and > Locke's conception of a person as a mental substance, and > 2) the laissez-faire economic theory formulated by Adam Smith and Jevons, > which rests in turn on Locke,Hume and Bentham.? > (I know some cosmetics have been applied to the above theories [ e.g Keynes] > but they are still rock solid). > > I always thought that the MoQ rejected theism and subject/object > analises and that it rejected the existence of a value-free > scientific/atomistic/amoral rationality upon which the philosophies of point > 2 in the above are grounded.
Pirsig presents his reasons for supporting free market capitalism in Chapter 17 of Lila. To answer your question I suggest you read what he wrote there. I can add nothing. To me his explanation is complete. > Secondly you say: > That seems to me to be a rational argument that supports what some might > consider old fashioned SOM assumptions. However, while it's good to have a > new argument from Mr. Pirsig, those old assumptions have proved their value > in individual freedom and standard of living we enjoy today. > > Andre: > How do you reconcile the fact that the philosophies, mentioned above, placed > protection of property rights above human rights? This seems to me to be a > case of a social PoV (property rights) usurping an Intellectual PoV (human > rights). And you know what this means in MoQ terms. Property rights -- the right to keep what you lawfully earn -- is the foundation of individual liberty. Those who are forcibly prevented from keeping what they earn are slaves. > Also, what standard of living do Americans enjoy today? I have seen stats > quite a while ago now and that did not really encourage me to think that > America was an especially special place to live in (apart from the scenery)? Americans enjoy a very high standard of living. It's a special place to live because it more open to Dynamic Quality than socialist countries. Pirsig cites the dynamism of New York City as an example: "Its strength is its looseness. It's the freedom to be so awful that gives it the freedom to be so good." (Lila, 17) Regards, Platt . 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/
