Hi Horse,
Of course you're correct in saying that selective use of quotes taken out
of context can support almost any view. The example you gave where
Pirsig writes a paragraph about conservatives supporting their own self
interest and "just doing the usual cover-up for the rich in their age-old
exploitation of the poor" was a classic example of how a quote can be
misleading. Immediately after that quote, and in the same paragraph,
Pirsig says:
“Some of them (referring to conservatives) seem to sense there is also
something mysteriously virtuous in a free enterprise system and you can
see them struggling to put it into words but they don’t have the
metaphysical vocabulary for it any more than the socialists do."
He then goes on explain that the free market is superior because the
"free market is a Dynamic institution." He elaborates further in Chapter
17 of Lila. So when I said, "Those inclined to extol the superiority of
socialism might do well to reread Chapter 17 wherein the author makes it
clear he favors free enterprise," I wasn't being misleading in the least.
As for using quotes from Pirsig to support a point of view, I'll stick to my
guns so long as the quotes do not misrepresent Pirsig's philosophy. Few
people on this site will allow that to happen I assure you.
You suggest that we "reason from the main principles of the MOQ." Good
advice, and in that regard, it does no harm to remind ourselves from time
to time what those main principles are in order to keep the conversation
revolving around the subject of Robert M. Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality.
You can be dynamic and conflict with Pirsig's thoughts all you wish, but
IMHO you'd better back up your "new ideas" with new metaphysical
grounds and vocabulary and not simply regurgitate the assumptions of
Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Marx, or whoever. Otherwise, to borrow a quote,
you're just "swishing old tea" around (Lila, Chp. 2).
Platt
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