Re: MD Theism, Non-Theism, Anti-Theism, Nihilism

From: Erin (macavity11@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Jul 14 2005 - 19:22:15 BST

  • Next message: Arlo Bensinger: "Re: MD Theism, Non-Theism, Anti-Theism, Nihilism"

    A related issue has been bothering me lately. There have been a few times where members who are clearly interested in Quality asked to leave the forum just because their ideas are not identical to Pirsigs on it. Ironically some of these same people will complain about the dogmatic, appeal to authority attitudes of religous people while promoting that very attitude here. Although this cult-like attitude makes me want to leave at times.....thankfully my interest in Quality wins out and choose to stay and ignore these kind of statements.
          That statement by Pirsig quoted is one of the statements that disappoint me.....in that it just seems so sloppy.... a characteristic I rarely if ever see in his writing.
    I just don't get the setting yourself up as an authorithy on Quality/appealing to Pirsig as an authority while arguing against appeals to authority, arguing for open-minded and diversity but asking any dissenting opinions to find their own site/leave.
     
    Frustrated but glad the low quality of this "think like us or leave" hasn't really worked.
    Erin
     

    Scott Roberts <jse885@cox.net> wrote:
    Mark SH,

    msh 13 Jul 2005 at 15:49 PST:
    What does "anti-theistic" mean, exactly? Wouldn't this suggest an
    active denunciation or ongoing attempt to logically invalidate
    theism? Where do we find this in Pirsig?

    Scott: In the Copleston Annotations (on Ant McWatt's website):

    " The MOQ would add a fourth stage where the term "God" is completely
    dropped as a relic of an evil social suppression of intellectual and Dynamic
    freedom. The MOQ is not just atheistic in this regard. It is
    anti-theistic. "

    This looks to me like an active denunciation. What it means to me is that he
    wants to exclude from the intellectual conversation all theists. I find this
    very shortsighted of him, but then anyone who could say "faith is ... a
    willingness to believe in falsehoods" (also in the Annotations) clearly has
    a serious blindspot.

    - Scott

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