On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 12:27 PM, david buchanan <[email protected]>wrote:
> > > 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. > Platt And you still want to focus on the build up rather than the conclusion. But, at least you now admit that Pirsig said capitalism is "superior" to socialism. That's progress. > > 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. > Platt Easy to say. Hard to demonstrate. > > 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. > Platt And you keep minimizing Pirsig's reason why intellectually guided societies fail and become "dull places. I think it's immoral to let you distort what Pirsig asserts as true. > > > > > > > > > > > > > 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 > 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
