From: Paul Turner (paulj.turner@ntlworld.com)
Date: Fri Sep 05 2003 - 18:17:39 BST
Hi Sam
Nice to see you back!
You said:
for a time when DMB and I were locking horns on it and related issues.
My key concern remains as
expressed there:
quoting "The One in India has got to be the same as the One in Greece.
If its not, you've got two"
is begging the question from my point of view. (That is, using the
language of 'the One' and making
a logical point is in itself buying into a certain approach and pattern
of thinking).
In other words the point is either trivial or mistaken, I would say.
(Or, to give a bit more, I
would quote Wittgenstein: practice gives the words their sense. Just
because two communities talk
about 'the One' - if in fact they DO agree even on that (translated)
description - doesn't mean
they're describing the same thing, leaving aside the question of
'attributes' etc).
Paul:
Well, I don't see how it is possible to differentiate between two
undefined monisms!
My point to Bo was that saying Quality is the source and substance of
all reality is not the first and won't be the last monism.
A Pirsig quote helps explain why I think it is a good one though:
"Oneness is one intellectual path up the mountain of understanding.
"Nothingness" is another such path. (Dynamic) Quality is a third. When a
scientifically orientated mind hears the term "substance" it says
"that's reality". When it hears about "oneness" and "nothingness" it
says, 'That's just empty, meaningless, metaphysical claptrap for the
"Mind of God" which we have already rejected for empirical reasons.'
Scientifically those words have no meaning."
"The word "quality" is superior to "oneness" and "nothingness" because
it is impossible for scientists to reject as metaphysical claptrap. They
try, but they cannot get away with saying there are no values in the
world. Even a so-so philosopher can cut them to pieces dialectically...
The Metaphysics of Quality is valuable because it provides a central
term that the Western, scientifically structured mind cannot dismiss."
Cheers
Paul
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