I don't know what everyone else thinks about this whole "Greatest Hits" thing,
but here's some of the things that went through my head:
One: Why does an idea have to fit in a single paragraph? I can understand why
Chris might want it that way, for logistical reasons, but ideas are usually
completely mis-understood out of context.
Two: Chris said "If we don't agree on a static-latch, I think the MoQ is
destined to fall victim to much unnecessary repetition and stagnation." We
don't have to agree on anything here. This is not about setting up the MoQ for
all time. Chris's statement makes philosophy sound positivistic, which, let me
tell you, it ain't. The Analytic philosophers would like philosophy to be
positivistic. In the process of deciding how to do that (at the beginning of
the 20th C.) most decided that the term "philosophy" should just be discarded
wholesale so that they could get on with problems that they could solve, like
logic problems. They want philosophy to look like algebra. Unfortunately for
them, most other philosophers disagree. Philosophy is about dissolving
problems of thought and the further along we get in philosophy the more
problems that appear. You'll remember Pirsig referring to these as "platypi".
And I, like others here, think the MoQ dissolves the most, but that's not to
say that others don't appear.
Three: This is not intellectual masturbation (though I, myself, have used the
phrase before). This (at least for me, maybe you all are masturbating) is
intellectual exercise. I get exercise and my ideas get exercise. Not
everything said on here is coherent or finished. But if I do say something
that is coherent or finished, it usually gets drug up for insertion into an
essay.
And that leads to
Four: Chris is right. This discussion group is not a static latch, it is
Dynamic. And while I like what I've seen of Lila's Child (mad-props to you,
Dan), to me, the real static latch for a person's ideas is an essay. An essay
(or book or whatever) forces you to find what can become static out of all the
Dynamic meanderings. Dynamic meanderings are important and their postings can
help gain new insight and perspective, but the real test is in essay form.
Because then everything is coherent and, hopefully, easy to understand so as to
have other people concur with your ideas.
That's what I think. That's why I like writing essays, having them read, and
getting feedback. I don't wanna' just propagate some idea, I want to continue
the evolution of my own ideas. And if I do help propagate an idea, good, maybe
it's worthy. As far as I'm concerned, none of my ideas are ready for a static
latch. They are all malleable; new light is thrown in different directions all
the time. And that's why I like this website. It's bright as day in here.
Because Chris was "so bold",
Matt
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:01:24 BST