[MD] Pantheism as Seen by the MOQ

[plattholden at gmail.com]

Hey John,

Pantheism is the religion of SOM science which, as the quoted passage 
makes clear, is responsible for the belief that man's "whole life is that of 
an animal that lives and thinks like any other animal." The MOQ doesn't 
support such a warped view.

Best,
Platt 




On 15 Jan 2010 at 11:56, John Carl wrote:

> Greetings Arlo,
> 
> You are both absolutely right and absolutely wrong in your reaction to
> Platt's post.  You are right when you point out that Platt's Pirsig quote
> actually supports, nurtures and reinforces the "Worshippers of Mother Nature
> in the church of environmentalism".  You are wrong though in your analysis
> of his reason for doing so.
> 
> You really, really have  issues with this guy, I know.  But it blinds you
> somewhat to what he actually says.
> 
> Heck, you've got such blinder on concerning Platt, you even only see me in
> relation to him!:
> 
> "With John, I don't know, he admits to being ignorant about theories
> of emergence, but this does not seemingly stop him from (at the very
> least) supporting Platt's sophomoric mischaracterization."
> 
> See?  What I say doesn't matter nearly as much as whether it support's
> Platt's position.
> 
> Isn't that a bit dogmatic?
> 
> But hey, don't take it as criticism.  Knock yourself out if that's what you
> enjoy.  Personally, I hate shadowboxing and losing.
> 
> John
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 6:45 AM, Arlo Bensinger <ajb102 at psu.edu> wrote:
> 
> > [Platt]
> >
> > Worshippers of Mother Nature in the church of environmentalism would do
> > well to ponder the following passage from Pirsig's MOQ:
> >
> > [Arlo]
> > Sometimes you are so blinded by your zeal to post your pet quotes, you miss
> > the irony that they actually support the very thing you think you are
> > attacking. Aside from the moronic conflation here, and the always insipid
> > attempt to paint environmentalism broadly as a "theism", your quote serves
> > the notion that the lack of connectedness in modern society is a result of
> > "theism" (separating "man" not only from his environment but denying
> > interconnectedness in toto), as opposed to "pantheistic" thinking. The
> > "scientific intellectual culture" of "millions of isolated people" stems
> > from the S/O bent of Western Culture, a view that "man" is somehow forever
> > "outside", an observer, a dis-connected isolated thing- the opposite view
> > from those your deceptive rhetoric tries to attack. If you are going to use
> > your pet quotes, at least take the time to make sure you understand them.
> >
> > "I know what it is! We've arrived at the West Coast! We're all strangers
> > again! Folks, I just forgot the biggest gumption trap of all. The funeral
> > procession! The one everybody's in, this hyped-up, fuck-you, supermodern,
> > ego style of life that thinks it owns this country. We've been out of it for
> > so long I'd forgotten all about it." (ZMM)