[Marsha previously] Conventionally speaking, what do intellectuals do? [Arlo] They write books about metaphysics.
[Marsha] Is there a conventional answer to this question? What is the definition of an intellectual? Are you an intellectual? If yes, what are the qualifications? Is there a test? Is there a special handshake? You seem to be sensitive to being anti-intellectual, so you should be able to define what is an intellectual? Otherwise, what are you complaining about? [Arlo] Complaining? You asked what intellectuals do, I simply said that they write books about metaphysics. Don't you consider Pirsig an intellectual? I certainly do. This is a little bit, though, like asking if someone is an "athlete". Ask ten people if golfers or billiards-players are athletes and you'll likely get mixed answers. (Is a referee at a soccer match an "athlete", considering they run as much if not more than the players?) What about someone who sails around the world, an "athlete"? What about someone who rows in river races? What about someone who drives a speed boat? But yeah, I think Pirsig, you, me, Platt, DMB, Ham, Bo, Krimel, John, Ian... all of us... we're all intellectuals here. "But I don't want to go among intellectual people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all intellectual here. I'm intellectual. You're intellectual." "How do you know I'm intellectual?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." 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/md/archives.html
