On Nov 3, 2010, at 2:24 PM, david buchanan wrote: > > > > dmb replies to Mark and Platt: > > I can sympathize with your mental health problems and it's easy to see how > you might feel a kinship with Pirsig because of that but that does NOT > entitle you to distort what Pirsig says. And once again Pirsig's meaning is > the very opposite of what you say it is. He said: > > "Phaedrus thought that no other historical or political analysis explains the > enormity of these forces as clearly as does the Metaphysics of Quality. The > gigantic power of socialism and fascism, which have overwhelmed this century, > is explained by a conflict of levels of evolution. This conflict explains the > driving force behind Hitler not as an insane search for power but as an > all-consuming glorification of social authority and hatred of > intellectualism. His anti-Semitism was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His > hatred of communists was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His exaltation of > the German volk was fueled by it. His fanatic persecution of any kind of > intellectual freedom was driven by it." > > In the larger context of these remarks, Pirsig is saying that the history of > the 20th century can best be understood as a conflict between social and > intellectual values. In this particular passage, he is saying that > ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM is the key to understanding fascism in general and > Hitler in particular. The driving force behind fascism is "an all-consuming > glorification of social authority and HATRED of intellectualism". In that > sense, Platt, you have much more in common with Hitler than you do with > Pirsig. > > Pirsig says, "a culture that supports the dominance of intellectual values > over social values is absolutely superior to one that does not." > > If you need to believe certain things in order to maintain your sanity, those > beliefs will be impervious to criticism. They are too important, too central, > too crucial in their supporting role. But this supporting role is > psychological, not intellectual. The intellectual value and validity of such > beliefs isn't even relevant because that's just not what it's about. This > explains the frustration I've been complaining about, that's for sure. We've > been playing two completely different games the whole time and your game > simply isn't about what's true. It's about mental hygiene. > > Marsha, is there something you'd like to tell us?
Marsha: Sure. My self is a flow of ever-changing, interdependent, impermanent, inorganic, biological, social and intellectual static patterns of value within a field of Dynamic Quality. What is there for your insults to land on? ___ 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
