From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sat Jan 04 2003 - 13:28:40 GMT
Hi Matt, DMB:
Matt wrote:
> DMB said: "that one's that would tend to concern themselves with feed and
> educate the poor, are more moral than the one's that don't."
>
> As a starter, Pirsig says, "Cultures can be graded and judged morally
> according to their contribution to the evolution of life." (Ch 24, end)
According to Pirsig "evolution of life" requires both liberals (Dynamic)
and conservatives (static). "Without Dynamic Quality the organism
cannot grow. Without static quality the organism cannot last. Both are
needed." (11)
> I would think that feeding the poor (social control over biological) and
> educating them (intellectual control over social) would be a Quality thing
> to try and do. If its not, then I hesitate to ask what Quality stands for.
Quality ends no doubt. But, the argument between liberals and
conservations is about means. Below you make the conservative case
in nutshell.
> I take liberal to mean two things: Shklar's definition of liberal, "Cruelty
> is the worst thing one can do," and classical liberalism which says that we
> should stay as much as possible out of each other's private business. I
> think the two are completely compatible, and its partly why, I think,
> Pirsig endorses capitalism as he does. More private free time equals more
> chances to be Dynamic.
Pirsig endorses capitalism? Not according to DMB who quotes Pirsig:
"From a static point of view socialism is more moral than capitalism."
(16)
Interesting that you two come to completely opposite conclusions in
answering the question, "Is Pirsig a liberal?"
A couple of other observations. DMB is quick to associate liberalism
with socialism, confirming my suspicion that liberals are really
socialists in disguise. Also, DMB always cuts the "socialism quote"
before Pirsig says, "But what the socialists left out and what all but
killed their whole undertaking is the absence of a concept of indefinite
Dynamic Quality." So if you go by just what DMB quotes, you'll only get
part of Pirsig's position.
Platt
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