From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Fri Dec 19 2003 - 18:14:24 GMT
Hi All,
Looking at the world today one sees three forces of value engaged in a
titanic struggle.They are radical Islam, Western European secular
socialism, and American Judeo-Christian capitalism.
On this site we haven't radical Islam's ideology expressed, due in part I
imagine to the language barrier. But, there can be little doubt that MD
participants come down on one side or the other in clash between secular
socialism and Judeo-Christian capitalism.
Those on the secular socialist side rightly appeal to Pirsig's placement
of the intellectual level higher than the social level whose static
religious patterns are antithetical to the morally superior rule of
objectivity and reason. Those on the capitalist side rightly appeal to
Pirsig's identification of Dynamic Quality as the highest good of all, but
whose creative power and drive towards freedom goes unrecognized by the
intellectual level.
In Pirsigian terms, the war on terrorism is a moral war--intellectual
level vs. a static social level Islamic fundamentalism that uses the
biological behavior of physical attack to attain its goals. "Intellectuals
must find biological behavior, no matter what its ethnic connection, and
limit or destroy destructive biological patterns with complete moral
ruthlessness, the way a doctor destroys germs, before those biological
patterns destroy civilization itself." (Lila, chp. 24) Further, Pirsig
writes to Anthony McWatt, "Destroying an inferior culture is better than
allowing that inferior culture to become a threat."
Is there anyone reading this who disagrees with moral rightness of the war
on terrorism as morality is defined in the MOQ? If so, direct quotes from
Pirsig's works will be needed to refute. Emotional responses based on
personal dislike of the U.S. or Bush for alleged "arrogance" or "bullying"
won't cut it. Of course, you can always try to show the MOQ to be wrong-
headed, but that is a tall order because you will have to explain the
existence of values somehow.
The moral status of Western European secular socialism vs. U.S. Judeo-
Christian capitalism is, as pointed out above, not so cut and dried in the
MOQ moral hierarchy. Certainly Pirsig has low opinion of the moral status
of the religiosity of Christian fundamentalists, although he laments the
loss of the Judeo-Christian values of " . . . their optimism, their belief
in the future, their codes of craftsmanship and labor and thrift and self-
discipline that really built twentieth-century America. Since the
Victorians disappeared the entire drift of this century has been toward a
dissipation of these values." (Lila, chp. 17) Also, Pirsig is unwilling to
shelve religious experience completely, saying, "The Metaphysics of
Quality identifies religious mysticism with Dynamic Quality." (Lila, chp.
30)
It is Pirsig's recognition of the "mystic" throughout the MOQ that argues
most strongly in behalf of my belief that the MOQ rejects European
secularism socialism Further, the fact that Pirsig ties mysticism to DQ,
and socialism to the absence of DQ, strongly suggests he favors the
openness and freedom of the U.S. capitalist system. Again, those who
object to my analysis will should use quotes from Pirsig instead of
repeating party propaganda.
Finally, there's a marvelous similarity in a line from the MOQ and a line
in America's Declaration of Independence. From the MOQ we read, "From the
baby's point of view, something, he knows not what, compels attention.
This generalized "something," Whitehead's "dim apprehension," is Dynamic
Quality." (Lila, chp. 9) From the Declaration we read, "We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
We're born free, created by DQ so we can experience DQ as life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. It's my belief that DQ has also created in
us a sense of beauty to guide our pursuit of happiness.
Unless Western European secular socialism can somehow recognize and
account for mystic DQ, it seems to me their moral status leaves something
to be desired if one accepts the premises of the MOQ.
Platt
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