From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Aug 11 2005 - 14:03:03 BST
Hi All,
Herewith an analysis of msh's analysis of Pirsig's quote:
"Intellectuals must find biological behavior, no matter what its
ethnic connection, and limit or destroy destructive biological
patterns with complete moral ruthlessness, the way a doctor destroys
germs, before those biological patterns destroy civilization itself."
msh
> For now, let's leave this quote out of context and analyze it for
> meaning, on its own. The first clause tells us that I-D individuals
> (not BD-SD individuals) must determine what is and what is not a
> threat to society.
The first clause simply states that intellectuals must identify biological
behavior. It says nothing yet about "threats to society."
By modifying "biological behavior" with "ethnic connection," the second
clause make clear that Pirsig is talking about biological behavior of
human beings. Msh ignores this because he can't admit to the reality that
human behavior can be compared to animal behavior.
msh
> The third clause makes it clear that, once a
> possible threat is verified as genuine, the I-D individual has TWO
> options: limiting or destroying the threat, which means working with
> others within the Social Level to incarcerate or kill the threatening
> biological patterns.
The third clause states that "destructive biological patterns," meaning
those that threaten society, must be destroyed without mercy. It says
nothing about "working with others at the social level." That's msh's
attempt to water down Pirsig's harsh directive, like his pretending not to
see "with complete moral ruthlessness."
msh
> Now, since the biological patterns we're concerned with here are
> human beings, and since human beings contain ideas, and it's wrong
> for Society to destroy ideas, it's wrong for Society to kill human
> beings when they are no immediate threat to Society. That is,
> "killing 'em all like germs" when they are no longer an immediate
> threat would be highly immoral behavior, according to the principles
> of the Metaphysics of Quality.
In this paragraph msh introduces a totally new idea -- an "immediate
threat." Where he got that is anybody's guess, but not from Pirsig. He
wishes it had been included because he wants to soften Pirsig's statement
to make it more compatible with leftist "sensitivity," "nuance" and
"subtlety." This "immediate threat" accretion leads to a false conclusion
about the principles of the MOQ.
msh
> Finally, it's important to keep in mind that the fourth clause of the quote
> ("the way a doctor destroys germs") is a figure of speech, not a blueprint
> for threat-control in a moral society. The MOQ says quite clearly that
> human beings are not germs, so it is impossible to see how any "kill 'em
> all like germs" theory of threat-control can be derived from the
> Metaphysics of Quality.
Finally, again to muffle the impact of the simile, "The way a doctor kills
germs" msh tries to convince us that Pirsig doesn't really mean it. Since when
does a simile indicate dissembling? Then he follows with a wonderful non
sequitur that completely denies everything that Pirsig asserts.
If this is an example of the left's ability to think critically, it
explains a lot about their woefully failed policies. :-)
Platt
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