From: Valence (valence10@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Mar 07 2003 - 14:58:52 GMT
Hello Squonk, Kevin & Matt,
SQUONK
In the western philosophical tradition, there may be said to be little that
is original in the MoQ. However, there are original aspects, and these
aspects are significant. If you find a little originality insufficient, then
you may wish to contemplate the scarcity of such insights?
RICK
Umm... is this a question? Either way, I don't (and never did) dispute that
there are original aspects in the MoQ. I also wouldn't dispute that a
little originality in philosophy is a rare and blessed thing. The point of
my last post to Matt was only that I believed that Dewey's Pragmatism was
closer to the MoQ than James's Pragmatism was, and that's all.
SQUONK
The significance of MoQ originality partly lies in those aspects which
resonate with non-Western traditions. If this is ignored, then any attempt
to capture the MoQ in purely Western tradition will exclude much that is
important.
RICK
No doubt.
KEVIN
I do agree with Squonk that there is a mystical, eastern, zen element to
Pirsig that is most definitely missing from that brief description of
Dewey. The metaphysics sounds remarkably compatible (at least from that
blurb), but I think Pirsig offers more on the side of coping skills and
lessons for living than most other pragmatists, which does make him
remarkable and so very compelling.
RICK
I agree with you that Pirsig generally offers "more on the side of coping
skills and lessons for living than most other pragmatists", especially in
ZMM, but I would also note that most of the traditional pragmatists (Pierce,
James, Dewey,etc) were really only concerned with an audience of
'professional academics'. They were writing more for an audience of
philosophers and scientists than for the general public.
MATT
...Of course, I still think Dewey and Pirsig were wrong in trying to float
back down the comforts of metaphysics, but that's another story.
RICK
Oh... but then we wouldn't be having all this fun :)
takecare
rick
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