Platt said to Andre:
Like DMB and others, you are in denial about Pirsig calling the free market
"superior" to socialism. He doesn't say capitalism has "run amok." He does say
socialist cities are "dull." Read it and weep.
dmb says:
Well, no. I don't deny what Pirsig says about capitalism. It's just that YOU
select those pro-capitalist statements and ignore everything else he said about
political economy and the conflict between social and intellectual values.
Further, you give credit to the free-market when in fact Pirsig said its
superiority was due to something that NEITHER the capitalists or the socialist
ever figured out. Pirsig wants to explain what it is that really makes
capitalism work and he makes lots of major qualifications as he puts it into
larger context but you want to pretend otherwise. That's simply dishonest and
unfair. It's also bad thinking. And it's dull. Your view never gets beyond old
cliches and plattitudes.
And I've seen you apply this kind of selective reading to all sorts of things.
You've taken statements from an anti-capitalist essay and quote them to support
the very thing being criticized. Same thing with theism. In your hands, the
written word is just an ink blot upon which you project whatever you already
think. You apparently do not care what the author actually meant to say. You
are so unconcerned with the truth of the matter that you don't mind construing
things as the very opposite of what they actually mean. And this goes on year
after year.
What am I supposed to conclude from this? It has become impossible for me to
believe that you are being honest. I really don't see how can anyone respect
your ability to read or think. How can anyone have any trust in your ability to
have a reasonable conversation? I mean, I have accused you of ignoring all
those statements about the moral superiority of intellectually guided societies
and your response is to ignore all those statements once again?!? I think it
would be wrong to let you get away with that. And you haven't. No reasonable
person takes you or your distortions seriously.
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