From: Matt the Enraged Endorphin (mpkundert@students.wisc.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 10 2003 - 23:57:30 GMT
Platt,
Platt said:
It would have been more accurate to say "Rorty's
meaning of rational" rather than "the new meaning of rational."
Matt:
True. My apologies. I had been referencing it a lot lately, so I just
skipped over the reference to Rorty. Like many of the changes in my
vocabulary, they are owed to Rorty.
Platt:
Without a rational basis for morality based on agreed premises, there
will be no basis for defining "civilized" other than by a soup of
sentiments such as "don't be cruel" which can be interpreted many
different ways, depending on the particular ask you want to grind.
Matt:
This begs the question in your favor by still asking for a "rational
basis." Under the new (Rortyan) interpretation of rationality, the
question of a basis to determine civility doesn't come up.
Platt said:
Do you think Marxists by and large are more likely to be method
rationalists or a persuasive (propaganda) rationalists? From what I've
seen, they'll jump from one style to another, whatever works to attain
their ends.
Matt:
Your distinction I obviously object to, but if you are asking if I think
Marxists are by and large attracted to Marxism because of its method
("rational basis") or its ends (the elimination of an underclass) I haven't
read enough of my history on the individual Marxists to want to comment
either way.
Platt said:
I hope that Pirsig's tugging at your heart strings doesn't blind you to the
rational aspects of the MoQ. :-)
Matt:
You mean the MoQ's call for persuasion and tolerance over force and
bigotry? No, why would I be blind to that? ;-)
Matt
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Jan 10 2003 - 23:51:57 GMT