From: Charles Roghair (ctr@pacificpartssales.com)
Date: Mon Jan 17 2005 - 16:56:01 GMT
Swish!
On Jan 17, 2005, at 7:15 AM, Platt Holden wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I must say I'm flattered to be the center of so much attention
> recently,
> illustrating I suppose that my conservative political views are not
> welcome by some who contribute to this site. This seems rather odd
> since
> those on the opposite side of the political spectrum often speak of
> their
> love, caring, and compassion towards all, not to mention their
> tolerance
> and sensitivity to the thoughts and feelings of others.
>
> But such hypocrisy isn't my main concern. Rather it is the lack of
> cogent
> argument against views that some find wrongheaded. Time and again I've
> had
> to point out the ad hominem nature of many responses to my questioning
> of
> leftist ideas, and lately there have been appeals to such authorities
> as a
> singing group called the Beatles and a comedian named Bill Hicks. To
> reply
> in kind by following this line of argument I could legitimately cite
> the
> musings of Snoop Doggy Dog and Jackie Mason. From there the debate has
> nowhere to go but down.
>
> Another frequently used form of argument is to accuse me (and anyone
> who
> suggests the possibility of an intelligence that transcends man) of
> fear
> mongering while simultaneously stating the dire consequences that will
> befall us by allowing God-fearing conservatives to exercise political
> power.
>
> Another technique is to use a singular occurrence of anecdotal
> evidence to
> prove a point (When I was sick socialized medicine saved my life.)
> while
> ignoring evidence compiled by a broad range of study. (The NHS has a
> severe shortage of capacity, directly costing the lives of tens of
> thousands of patients a year. Source: The Guardian.)
>
> Finally, there's the implication, sometimes obviously stated, that if
> your
> political view isn’t leftist, you certainly aren't qualified to be
> admitted to the intellectual level, a status reserved for properly
> educated individuals or for those with sufficiently large hearts to
> understand the wisdom of robbing rich Peter to rescue poor Paul from
> the
> consequences of his bad decisions. Being nonjudgmental of others
> (amoral)
> is considered highly moral by leftists (never mind the contradiction) ,
> unless of course the person in question is a conservative.
>
> None of this makes a wit of difference when it comes to interpreting
> Pirsig's metaphysics. Being an avowed atheist, Pirsig's supports those
> deny any role of God in the affairs of man. Being in favor of free
> markets, he supports those who believe capitalism on balance is more
> conducive to the pursuit of happiness than socialism. Other than that,
> his
> politics is not known in any detail. We do know that he attributes some
> social problems to a lack of moral standards, especially among the
> intellectual elite who are wed to the SOM paradigm.
>
> In any case, I appreciate the undeserved attention, but hope we can
> continue debating issues of interest without getting personal. After
> all,
> it's the ideas, not whose ideas they are, that counts.
>
> Best,
> Platt
>
>
>
>
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