[Ron] I think what is being sought is a contextual connection between their inherited faith values and their intellectual values and they see RMP as offering that.
[Arlo] If RMP offers a connection here, its in moving away from limiting static patterns and towards the mystic, Dynamic, undefined. And when that happens, static labels like "Christian" become meaningless. In a Campbellian manner, its moving away from belief in one mythology to an inquiry into bridges that span the global, historic act of mythologizing. Its moving away from 'being a mechanic' into inquiring about the common apprehensions that bridge welding, painting, music, dance, literature, cooking, model railroading, camping, biology reseach, yoga and putting together a rotisserie. And at that level words like "arc" and "weld metal" become constrained. [Ron replies] That is a great way to put it, and who could fail to agree with you, I believe it was Locke that viewed faith as a species of reason and religeon but a branch of philosophy. It is in that spirit that I can see the benefit of Pirsigs work as assisting in that move to develop critical thinking. I mean, we all carry residual "inherited" beliefs around in our value systems, what did Bacon say? "A little philosophy makes a man an Atheist, a great deal converts him to religeon." so that a healthy sense of skepticism is ever implied when we want to rest on a concept because our historical narritive is always in play. [Ron] The resolve between being a christian and still being able to be a critical thinker is an important one that formally had it's foundation in Platonism. [Arlo] One more reason to step back, as Pirsig did, to the sophists that pre-dated Plato. Do you think a sophist would have this problem? Doubtful. The stories of the Occident become simply one more set of stories in the grand tapestry of human mythology. This is why you never see anyone here have to resolve being a Buddhist and being a critical thinker, or practicing Zen student and being a critical thinker, because those who find value in those stories know they are just stories and identity isn't caught up in a particular set of static patterns of value. [Ron replies] And I think this is that huge problem area in our primarly christian based culture , that social/intellectual moral vaccuum in a captialistic economy. The crisis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that on the off chance that John is someone that is willing to be reasonable and is open to dialog we could perhaps gain a better understanding of how a MoQ can benefit the situation. I dunno, guess I'm starving for interesting dialog. Thanx for indulging my "devils advocate" approach. .cold, saw some nut on a bike wed. almost tempted me to do a "hell ride" myself . how are you healin up? . 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
