Greetings,
Kev, I am not a positivist as is clear from my posting and I can't see that your critique applies to
what I have written. I suspect we shall have to agree to disagree here as the argument has been
batted back and forth a couple of times to no avail. Please be aware that I am not judging your
position in terms of my own beliefs but in terms of what I think the MoQ claims. You may be right
that you are correctly interpreting and extending the MoQ, I merely hope that you aren't because the
corollary for me is that I'm wasting my time. Pure mysticism is a position I have rejected (as is
pure positivism) and I don't have the slightest interest in revisiting old and discredited (by many,
not merely the MoQ) territory - life is too short.
To conclude my point. You keep reiterating that Pirsig admits that writing metaphysics is a form of
degeneracy. He does nothing of the sort. He writes that, "in the strictest mystic sense, (it is) a
degenerate activity." But of course Pirsig is not a strict mystic so it isn't degenerate. In a book
where mystical objections and positivist objections to the MoQ are answered I can't see why you
think that taking the position of a mystic equates to agreeing with the MoQ. If Pirsig sees the MOQ
as mysticism then why does he measure it against mysticism? It is not possible to compare something
to itself. The sooner we drop this simplistic positivism v mysticism charade the better.
Finally, the relative level of mysticism and reason we will never agree on either. I dislike this
hierarchy anyway so am not bothered much, but to me it is clear that you are confusing proximity to
DQ with static evolution. To you I am seemingly rejecting the more 'moral' level. Such is life.
As I say, not much hope of agreement here, but diversity makes life interesting.
Struan
P.S. Cheers Roger. Good to see you happy to point out contradictions and refreshing to read your new
angles each time they come along. Bit worried when you went all mystical though - thought it was an
impostor. :-)
------------------------------------------
Struan Hellier
< mailto:struan@shellier.freeserve.co.uk>
"All our best activities involve desires which are disciplined and
purified in the process."
(Iris Murdoch)
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