Glenn, Sriram, Patrick, Platt, and all:
I'm reluctant to try to get this thread back on track because the train has
barely been able to get out of the station. Yes, I was trying to make a
point in starting it, but it was NOT to discredit post-modernism or anything
else. The issue and the topic is as the thread name indicates; the failure
of the enlightenment. And the point is that many different movements,
attitudes and isms are a reaction to that failure, that Pirsig's attack on
SOM and amoral scientific objectivity is an attack on that same failure.
In short, that failure is caused by an over emphasis on reason and
rationality to the exclusion of so many other things. And as I already said,
I think the examination of the failure might shed light on the conflict
between the social and intellectual level. I think it will shed light
because both sides complain about this failure, although for different
reasons and from different perspectives or value systems. The reactionaries
want to dismiss science in favor of religion and traditional morality while
the intellectuals want to dismiss religion and social level codes in favor
of all sorts of things. Or to put it another way, the two sides that are
most likely to attack MODERNISM and the pre-moderns and the post-moderns.
See? As I understand it, the MOQ says both of these positions are wrong and
I thought THAT was well worth exploring. THAT is the point.
If anyone would like to discuss the relative merits of postmodernism, please
feel free. If anyone wants to talk about mysticism, that's wonderful. I'll
probably join you all on that topic. But would it be too much to ask
everyone to use another thread name for those issues? You never know. This
train might still be able to make it out of the station.
Would anyone be interested in discussing the historical period that gave
rise to SOM, to amoral scientific objectivity? Huh? Anyone?
Thanks for your time,
DMB
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