Hi Platt,
I've been on the road a while and have had to jump over masses of email, but
saw this and wanted to comment:
The issue is not so much as the donor characterized it (a matter of
acknowledging to contributions made by individuals vs. those of groups), but
one of control over the content of the exhibit. The Smithsonian staff felt
that the donor was demanding content control. This has become a growing
issue within the museum, as its current director has embraced corporate
donor 'partnerships' and a substantial control over content (witness the
Orkin sponsorship of the bug exhibits!). Can't blame the corporate sponsors,
of course, but it has posed a major problem to the museum curators and
exhibit planners, who seek to eliminate self-seeking on the part of the
donors. Among the staff, there was considerable excitement and support for
an exhibit exploring the role and importance of individuals in the evolution
of society.
In the case of this instance, the donor wanted to include some of her social
friends in the exhibit, as examples of individual leadership, though they
were, at best, third-raters.
Lawry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk
> [mailto:owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk]On Behalf Of Platt Holden
> Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 10:40 AM
> To: moq_discuss@moq.org
> Subject: Re: MD MOQ and solipsism
>
>
> Hi 3WD, Group:
>
> > Pirsig
> >
> > "It says, first of all, that "amoral objective matter" is a low-grade
> > form of morality. and "there is not just one moral system. There are
> > many. ...there’s the morality called the "laws of nature," by which
> > inorganic patterns triumph over chaos; there is a morality called the
> > "laws of the jungle" where biology triumphs over the inorganic forces of
> > starvation and death; there’s a morality where social patterns
> triumph over
> > biology, "the law"; and there is intellectual morality, which is still
> > struggling in its attempts to control society." Lila-pp 158
> >
> > While attention is focused on the intellectual level I would like to ask
> > this:
> >
> > If in a commonsense way the moral systems of the MoQ are:
> >
> > inorganic ='s "laws of nature"
> > organic ='s "laws of the jungle"
> > social ='s "the law"
> > intellectual = [Blank]
> >
> > Why did Pirsig not tie some name like these to this level? Or did he
> > somewhere and I miss it? But if he didn't what are some of the
> > possibilities? The best candidate?
>
> I vote for the laws of "logical consistency." Or "math and logic."
>
> The postmodern attack on logic being a tool of white male power is a
> clear example of the social level attempting to devour the intellectual
> level. That groupthink has made inroads into the body politic,
> especially among academics, is illustrated by a patron's withdrawal of
> a $38 million donation to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to
> create a "Hall of Achievers" that was to demonstrate the power of
> individuals to shape history. The patron withdrew the donation when
> the Smithsonian staff objected to the exhibit's focus on individuals
> instead of groups. She wrote:
>
> "Apparently, the basic philosophy for the exhibit--the power of the
> individual to make a difference--is the antithesis of that espoused by
> many within the Smithsonian bureaucracy, which is that only
> movements and institutions make a difference, not individuals. After
> much contemplation, I see no way to reconciles these diametrically-
> opposed viewpoints."
>
> The battles between the social and intellectual levels have
> consequences, not just in books like LILA, but in the everyday world.
> Logic and math, incapable of being cowered or converted by group
> demands, stand as beacons of individual freedom against the howling
> mob. Given the premise of inalienable rights, the logic of forming
> governments to protect the intellectual level from the forces of society
> becomes unassailable.
>
> Platt
>
>
>
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