Re: MD The Quality of Capitalism?

From: ml (mbtlehn@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sun Dec 12 2004 - 04:24:18 GMT

  • Next message: Phaedrus Wolff: "Re: MD The Quality of Capitalism?"

    well posted...thanks for the citation Platt

    thanks--mel

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Platt Holden" <pholden@sc.rr.com>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>; <owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk>
    Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 7:02 AM
    Subject: Re: MD The Quality of Capitalism?

    > Hi MSH, All:
    >
    > ph::
    > > We already know Pirsig's view on the question; a free market system
    > > is better than an intellectually directed system because it responds
    > > better to DQ. You'll have to go some to top that, but you're welcome
    > > to try.
    >
    > > msh says:
    > > No, this is your mis-interpretation of Pirsig's view, which I and
    > > others have disputed numerous times. Besides, this view fails to
    > > address the question of this thread, stated clearly above. And it
    > > fails to address the real-world question of whether or not existing
    > > "free-market" economies are really free to respond to DQ.
    >
    > Here is what Pirsig said about capitalist (free market) vs. socialist
    > (intellect-directed) systems:
    >
    > "That's what neither the socialists nor the capitalists ever got figured
    > out. From a static point of view socialism is more moral than capitalism.
    > It's a higher form of evolution. It is an intellectually guided society,
    > not just a society that is guided by mindless traditions. That's what
    > gives socialism its drive. But what the socialists left out and what has
    > all but killed their whole undertaking is an absence of a concept of
    > indefinite Dynamic Quality. You go to any socialist city and it's always a
    > dull place because there's little Dynamic Quality.
    > A free market is a Dynamic institution. What people buy and what people
    sell,
    > in other words what people valve, can never be contained by any
    intellectual
    > formula. What makes the marketplace work is Dynamic Quality. The market
    > is always changing and the direction of that change can never be
    predetermined.
    > The Metaphysics of Quality says the free market makes everybody richer-by
    > preventing static economic patterns from setting in and stagnating
    economic
    > growth. That is the reason the major capitalist economies of the world
    have
    > done so much better since World War II than the major socialist economies.
    > It is not that Victorian social economic patterns are more moral than
    socialist
    > intellectual economic patterns. Quite the opposite. They are less moral as
    > static patterns go. What makes the free-enterprise system superior is that
    the
    > socialists, reasoning intelligently and objectively, have inadvertently
    closed the
    > door to Dynamic Quality in the buying and selling of things. They closed
    it
    > because the metaphysical structure of their objectivity never told them
    > Dynamic Quality exists."(Lila, 17)
    >
    > This passage, contrary to MSH's claims, 1) addresses the "Quality of
    > Capitalism," 2) addresses the real-world question of whether existing
    > free-market systems respond to DQ and 3) proves it wasn't ever
    > "misinterpreted" by me.
    >
    > > I'm looking for evidence, analysis, and argument here. You can rely
    > > on the MOQ for argument, if you like, but evidence means stepping
    > > outside the MOQ and into the real world of imperfect economic
    > > systems.
    >
    > I find no good reason to "step outside the MOQ" since Pirsig is obviously
    > talking about the "real world," not some imaginary Never-Never Land.
    > Pirsig never claims free market capitalism is perfect, simply that it's
    > better than intellectually directed socialism. Of course, if you'd rather
    > live in Sweden, go for it.
    >
    > Best,
    > Platt
    >
    >
    >
    >
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