Dear Scott,
You wrote 20/6 18:41 -1000:
'Just for clarity, can we call these [myths Platt mentioned 17/6 8:47 -0400]
the myths of scientism, rather than science? That lets me respect science
for what it is good at, and denounce scientism for its bad myths.'
I hesitate to agree, because I don't think myths are bad. As Platt wrote
21/6 16:33 -0400:
'no rational pattern of values ... can prove its own validity based on its
own assumptions'. Science needs unprovable assumptions. Platt was right to
call these 'myths', because they have the same role as myths. It is not
wrong to have myths, but (relatively) wrong to make them unchangeable (not
open to DQ anymore). Maybe you are right if you mean that (making scientific
assumption unchanageable) with 'scientism'.
The kind of postmodernist you describe, that 'wants to drop the idea of
"objective reality" entirely', may be closer to a MoQ than to SOM, except
that in a MoQ 'objective reality' is not dropped, but given equal (static
quality) status as 'subjective reality'.
You wrote:
'I regard MOQ as postmodern, because it denies ... that reality IS something
ponderable. Rather, when we ponder, we are pondering static patterns of
quality, but not Quality.'
As Quality is subdivided in static quality and Dynamic Quality by Pirsig,
I'd say that when we are pondering static patterns of quality, we ARE
pondering (part of) Quality. (And those 'unexpected leaps' 'our pondering
can take', which you equate with DQ, can't we ponder that part of Quality
too?) As Pirsig equates reality and Quality, I wouldn't say that a MoQ
denies the ponderability of reality either.
So ... I still don't consider myself a postmodernist, even if the ideas of
Rorty as you describe them do seem valuable to me.
I prefer astrology to the enneagram, because 10 subconscious motives
(symbolized by 8 planets, sun and moon) expressing themselves through 12
types of filters (symbolized by 12 signs of the zodiac) in 12 aspects of
life (symbolized by 12 houses or segments of the sky) enable me to paint a
more complex picture of an unique human being than only 9 segments of an
enneagram.
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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