From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Tue May 11 2004 - 04:44:24 BST
msh and all:
(LILA-HC, Page 300)
"In the battle of society against biology, the new 20th century
intellectuals have taken biology's side."
msh said:
I'm afraid this idea is too vague for me to know whether or not I
agree with it. I can understand how someone might take biology's
side over society, but Who are these new intellectuals, and what are
their ideas? Pirsig doesn't say. And what is an intellectual
anyway? Someone with a Ph.D.? Or just anyone who reads and discusses
and thinks, and tries to provide support for his ideas?
dmb replies:
Oh, good. I finally have the chance to disagree with you about something.
Chapter 24 in Lila gets at the reasons behind the "paralyzing intellectual
system", which he attributes to "their own internal construction". (305)
SOM's amoral objectivity seemed unable to distinguish a Galileo from a
common criminal, who both seemed to be "fighting social repression", and "as
a result became the champion of both. That's the root of the problem." (306)
He explains the society is the central term between biology and intellect
and has a relationship with both. But they are very different relationships,
governed by two different moral codes. Its moral for social patterns to
control biological values but its immoral for social values to control the
intellect. That's the difference between a Galileo from the creeps. "Unless
you separate these two levels of moral codes you get a paralyzing confusion
as to whether society is moral or immoral. That paralyzing confusion is what
dominates all thoughts about morality and society today." And he makes a
pretty good historical case elsewhere in describing the arrival of the
intellectual class in American after WW1 in chapter 21 and their further
ascent during FDR's New Deal in chapter 22. If you're looking for particular
historical intellectuals, he names lots of names on page 274.
Maybe you'll take a look at this idea and get back to me.
Thanks in any case,
dmb
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archives:
Aug '98 - Oct '02 - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Nov '02 Onward - http://www.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/summary.html
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue May 11 2004 - 04:47:43 BST