Re: MD Begging the Question, Moral Intuitions, and Answering the Nazi, Part III

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sun Oct 19 2003 - 17:12:48 BST

  • Next message: Scott R: "Re: MD Begging the Question, Moral Intuitions, and Answering the Nazi, Part III"

    David M.,

    > Platt says: "Rorty wants to rid society of the idea of objective truth
    > independent > of our wishes and whims, substituting the idea of communal
    > > justification for belief"

    David replied:
    > Objective truth is a postulate from SOM,
    > and only makes sense in that context/metaphysics.
    > I thought we wanted to be MOQ advocates.
    > MOQ puts value/quality first. After that it is
    > interpretation all the way down. Doesn't stop you arguing
    > for the greater coherence/range/plausibility of your particular
    > interpretation against others, but you can't ask for any idependent
    > objects to verify what is correct. With a different model, you get a
    > whole different set of objects. It is this fall back towards the
    > essentialism of SOM that makes Matt a useful weapon in keeping the MOQ
    > true to its rejection of SOM, and the implications of doing so.

    I beg to differ. The MOQ doesn't reject the SOM. In 'Lila's Child'
    Pirsig writes:

    "As far as I know the MOQ does not trash the SOM. It contains the SOM
    within a larger system. The only thing it trashes is the SOM assertion
    that values are unreal." (note 125.)

    As for "you can't ask for any independent objects to verify what is
    correct," again I beg to differ. In the MOQ, the inorganic and
    biological levels are "objective."

    "In the MOQ all organisms are objective. They exist in the material
    world." (LC, note 4.)

    It's objectively true in the MOQ as in SOM that Roy Horn was mauled by
    a tiger while performing at the a Las Vegas casino.

    To go along with Rorty's idea that Horn was mauled by a tiger only if
    enough people say so (how many is "enough" is never specified)
    stretches intellectual credulity don't you think?

    Regards,
    Platt

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