RE: MD MoQ platypuses

From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Sun Sep 21 2003 - 23:35:37 BST

  • Next message: David Buchanan: "RE: MD MoQ platypuses"

    -----Original Message-----
    From: MATTHEW PAUL KUNDERT [mailto:mpkundert@students.wisc.edu]
    Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 2:45 PM
    To: moq_discuss@moq.org
    Subject: Re: MD MoQ platypuses

    Andy,

    Andy began:
    Well, I don't like to give out reading lists, but Rorty could probably
    explain it better than I. At least, I think I would do better if I pointed
    you to an inspiration than if I tried to explain it. Rorty's "achieving Our
    Country" is a very short read with many inspiring thoughts for liberals in
    America. It is not really philosophy, it is more Rorty following his own
    advice and substituting hope for knowledge.

    Matt:
    Another excellent reading of Rorty, one that coveys a proper understanding,
    the spirit of the letter.

    On quibble, though. Andy said, "But he is saying that there is no truth "in
    there" in words such as democracy, capitalism, etc... You have agreed that
    this is obvious, and really doesn't need to be said. I think it does need
    to be said, because I have held many words such as democracy and freedom
    sacrad in the past."

    I don't think we want to say that democracy and freedom are not sacred. The
    reason is that I would take the words that we hold at the bottom of our
    final vocabularies, words that we cannot argue for in any fashion but
    circular, as sacred. We wouldn't be able to identify ourselves as ourselves
    unless we believed in these root-bottom words, particularly those like
    democracy and freedom. Now, after saying that, I would make a distinction
    between sacredness and dogmatism. I think dogmatism is an extra ingredient
    that can be disconnected from sacred. When you hold something as sacred,
    you are standing up for what you believe against all that is against you,
    all that is not sacred, (here's the Pirsigian part) all that is not as good
    as what you believe. The only way to be swayed from your belief in
    democracy-as-sacred is a concrete alternative, one that you took to be
    better than the old one. Because, suddenly, your sacred word isn't the
    best. It takes courage to back down
     from that which you've held in so high esteem, but that is how one remains
    an ironist, somebody who does not believe that dogmatism accompanies
    sacredness. As Andy wonderfully argues, its about persuasion. We must
    leave ourselves open to the persuasive purrings of other, else we will be
    stuck in the windowless monads of our own egocentric beliefs.

    Matt

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