Hi Platt, Wim and all,
> You asked how I might amend the MOQ. With extreme reluctance, as
> pointed out above. Personally, I would prefer that he let up on the
> immorality of eating meat. Also, I think he erred in assigning Islamic
> hatred of the West to our release of biological forces. Instead what
> really ticks them off is our intellectual superiority.
Which they regard as "excuses to wallow in biological filth". You have to
learn to think as your ennemies, Platt. ;)
The problem of Islamic fundamentalists is that they *cannot* perceive the
intellectual goodness/value. Freedom of speech, of free assembly, of
religious practice and of sexual orientation are intellectual rights morally
supported by the fact that Intellectual patterns are located within
*individuals*, and nowhere else. Giving freedom from society's dictates to
individuals in fact creates a Dynamic situation for those intellectual
patterns to flourish in.
But to fundamentalists, Intellect is subordinate to the social (and to them,
Divine) truth of the Coran. Therefore, individual/intellectual freedom is an
affront to their highest values, and an excuse to act immorally. The social
chaos resulting of SOM (as analysed by Pirsig) has shown them what a
so-called "intellectually-driven society" is good for. According to them :
not much.
Add to this an historically justified defiance of the West, and centuries of
colonial abuse on the part of Europeans, and the resulting picture they have
isn't pretty. But I believe Pirsig to be right : for them we are a bunch of
hypocrites pretending to be moral but using our power to secure biological
pleasures at their expense. Stuck at the social level, they CANNOT see the
intellectual level's moral superiority.
And it doesn't help that many Westerners enjoy its benefits but ignore the
duties it entails.
[snip]
> I'm sure at times, Wim, you have thought of me on occasion as being a
> hopeless degenerate, and likewise at times I have shaken my head in
> disbelief over some of your pronouncements. (Marco and I have had
> our doubts about one another, too.) But, so long as we maintain
> dedicated to keeping our hearts and minds open to DQ, which is really
> Pirsig's only advice on "what to do", we will grow to admire one
> another with each passing post and, who knows, even score some
> sort of a fantastic breakthrough in understanding that even the mystics
> have yet to discern.
Why can't people be simple ? First you think that some people are degenerate
social fundamentalists, hooked on the only flawed aspect of Pirsig's work,
and then they start agreeing with you... it's really disheartening. ;)
So I guess you're not that hot for Pirsig rational morality either, are you,
Platt ? Why the "Logical Conclusions" post, then ? Why the MOQ (mock?)
excuse for bombing Afghanistan, if even you agree that the MOQ isn't a
reliable moral guide ? I would have preferred it if you had said "I want to
bomb these bastards back to the Stone Age !" rather than try to drag Pirsig
onto your bandwagon...
You do not have to be one-sided (although I would consider it a favor if you
tried ;) but at least, please, be coherent.
Seeya
Denis
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