Howdy Platt and all,
PLATT
Since Pirsig mentioned no human rights other than those he listed and since
I have been scolded time and again for reading into the MOQ what isn't
there, it will be interesting to see if anyone here will claim that Pirsig
endorses the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention, the
Hague Convention or any other "international" enumeration of rights
religiously ignored by most of the non-Western world.
RICK
Pirsig mentions democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and
trial by jury (p188) --- and I know he mentions Habeas Corpus somewhere
though I've been unable to locate the quote. (You will note Platt, that
most of these are also traditionally ignored by the non-western world).
The common theme in these specific rights seems to be the importance of
freedom of information. Democracy is that everyone is heard in government.
Speech/Press rights assure everyone is heard in society. Trial by Jury
assures an accused will be heard by his peers. Habeas Corpus assures a
prisoner that he will be heard at all.
I think (despite Pirsig's express opinion) that these add up to a
concept far narrower than 'human rights'. What they seem to add up to is
the notion of 'the marketplace of ideas'. Like Adam's Smith's ideas on
economy--- I would guess that Pirsig envisions an intellectual free market
which presumes that all endeavors are improved by the free, unimpeded flow
of information. The bottom line being that 'free exchange of ideas' will
lead to 'BETTER ideas'.
Thus, my guess would be that Pirsig would endorse any/all of the things
you name to the extent that they encourage the free exchange of ideas.
PLATT
It will also be fun to watch the MOQ being twisted, skewered
and misquoted to support various socialistic sacred cows such as the
right to a pension, health care, affirmative action and that one big all-
encompassing excuse for abridging freedom--"social justice."
RICK
The MOQ twisted, skewered and misquoted??? Are you writing a new post? :-)
But seriously... I don't think the Intellectual level endorses specific
substantive rights like these. That is, I don't believe the Intellectual has
an opinion on (for example) affirmative action or the right to a pension.
Rather, I think the MOQ contemplates us FREELY DEBATING issues like
affirmative action and pension rights... and reaching the solutions that
most enhance the free exchange of information and ideas.
rick
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