From: Matt Kundert (pirsigaffliction@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat May 14 2005 - 20:32:29 BST
Mark,
You have to remember that my remarks the last week or so were about
strategy. To my mind, you've basically agreed with me in the "political"
half of my response, you've eliminated almost entirely the use of any
social/intellectual or static/dynamic distinction in the arguments. Using
it for "context," as the "metaphysical structure" we're using, is redundant
as everybody here implicitly understands the context we're using: else, we
wouldn't be here. And nobody even has to make a distinction between a "good
idea" and a "bad idea"; that distinction is always implicit in every
argument, so saying you have to lay down that one explicitly is even more
redundant, and likely to cause umbrage in your opponent for thinking him so
stupid. And if it were limited to context-setting, then you wouldn't even
be able to get an opening "white glove slap to the face" because, as I said
before, simply taking up the argument already implicitly states that you
take issue with their interpretation of the higher quality idea. There's no
force to saying, "I think you have a bad idea/are retarding evolution." The
force is from the other stuff, as you admit. And to start the now
obligatory rejoinders, "NO, YOU'RE retarding evolution!", I think just makes
for a waste of space, time, and energy and makes one complicit in starting
it.
So, if you agree there (which you may not), the only thing left are my
"philosophical" remarks, which I imagine we won't agree on.
Matt
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