On 8/14/09 12:01 PM, "david buchanan" <[email protected]> wrote:
<snip> I'd also point out that the central mission in ZAMM is to expand rationality and that the MOQ's moral hierarchy of static patterns puts intellect at the top. I mean, the content of Pirsig's philosophy doesn't support anti-intellectualism either. There just no way that a reasonable case can be made. It can only be made through distortions and deletions. <snip> Hi DMB and all, Imho Pirsig realized that the transcendental of SOM:-- Thing, One, Good, True-- were not realistic. The true/good transcendental of SOM were an assumption of a body/soul division. The intellect/will activities of a soul are not reality. In order to explain differences, he proposed an evolutionary hierarchy. He reintroduced Intellect as a level of evolution. The Will was integral to the social level. The One/Thing is the inorganic level. For myself I find One is necessary for mathematical logic, but it is not metaphysical inasmuch as 1/0 is indeterminate. Only Thing, the inorganic level, remains of SOM. I accept seven levels of evolution: Inorganic, Organic one cell reproduction, Organic two cell reproduction, Social, Intellectual, Higher social, Higher Intellectual. The higher social and higher intellectual levels are a further evolution in consciousness only the DQ of the social level. Joe > > John said: > You can't fault Platt for villifying academia; it is a running thread through > ZAMM and the evolution of the MoQ, after all. And in Pirsig's words (Intro to > Lila's Child) the mouth of the man himself... "But If dissenters didn't exist > we would have to invent them because no set of philosophic ideas is worth much > until it is tested by dialectical opposition." > > > dmb says: > > I think it's way too generous to call Platt a "dissenter" and I find nothing > but fault in his vilification of academia. As luck would have it, I just went > through that section of ZAMM and it's pretty clear that Phaedrus was defending > the church of reason from a politically motivated lowering of standards, as > Arlo pointed out. The right-wing Governor of Montana had decided to fine the > college for every student that failed, which was virtually an order to pass > everyone no matter what kind of lazy blockhead they were. Pirsig was branded a > "subversive" for defending the most basic of academic standards. And, > obviously, this defense was being made while he was employed as a college > professor. This was years after he studied at the Hindu University in India > and just before he went to the University of Chicago to rub out Aristotle.. > And > all this is told in his philosophical novel. Any one of these biographical > facts is enough to dispute the notion but when they are taken all together the > idea that Pirsig or his MOQ would support anti-intellectualism or the > vilification of academia is just absurd. > I'd also point out that the central mission in ZAMM is to expand rationality > and that the MOQ's moral hierarchy of static patterns puts intellect at the > top. I mean, the content of Pirsig's philosophy doesn't support > anti-intellectualism either. There just no way that a reasonable case can be > made. It can only be made through distortions and deletions. > And that's why Platt doesn't count as a dissenter. Dissenters can test us to > the extent that they're capable of dialectical opposition, capable of making a > coherent, informed case against us. It's like chess or any other game. There > is only a real contest to the extent that the other guy might defeat you > within the rules of game. If I say "checkmate", he'll say "go fish". That's > how much of an opponent he isn't. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail®.. > http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=PID23391::T > :WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_express:082009 > 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/ 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/
