From: Steve Peterson (peterson.steve@verizon.net)
Date: Thu Mar 27 2003 - 17:58:00 GMT
Hi Sam,
You said,
> (for Islam, just as
> much as Christianity, operates at the intellectual level)
I don't think that all versions of Christianity or Islam operate at the
intellectual level. Militant Fundamentalist Islam specifically does not
operate at the intellectual level. To me this "war on terrorism" would be
better explained in such terms.
A war of terrorism cannot be won. Terrorism is only a tactic. We are at
war (figuratively is not literally) with an ideology that denies reason and
it's products such as liberty, democracy, and equality.
Our leadership has taken great pains to distinguish the war on terrorism
from a war against Islam but they should have only distinguished a war on
militant fundamentalist Islam from a war against a version of Islam that
does not see itself in conflict with intellectual values or seek to destroy
Western society. The result of not accurately naming the enemy has allowed
every other country to claim solidarity in our war because of their own
so-called terrorist troubles, and has left many wondering what the
difference is between a freedom fighter and a terrorist in some cases.
If we do successfully impose universal suffrage, religious freedom, and
democracy on Fundamentalist Militant Muslims, such an imposition of our
values would be moral because our values are better than theirs. (It's sad
that we are so reluctant to make such a claim.) What is immoral is the
Militant Islam's attempt to impose social control over intellect.
There is a conflict of values going on, but I don't think it's hard to know
which side is more moral under the MOQ.
You quoted:
Pirsig also writes (p317)
"Cultures can be graded and judged morally according to their contribution
to the evolution of life."
... And the intellectual level is the highest level of evolution so it
follows that cultures can be judged according to the intellectual freedom
that they sustain. Your point that it all comes crashing down if the social
level fails to control biological patterns is taken, but it seems to me that
one would measure the health of the whole system at the top (as biologists
measure the health of an ecosystem based on that of the predators). If the
intellectual level is thriving, it must be because the social level *is*
controlling biology.
Thanks,
Steve
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