[MD] Transhumanism

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Marsha previously]
Conventionally speaking, what do intellectuals do?  

[Arlo]
They write books about metaphysics. 

[Marsha]
Is there a conventional answer to this question?   What is the definition of an
intellectual?  Are you an intellectual?  If yes, what are the qualifications? 
Is there a test?  Is there a special handshake?   You seem to be sensitive to
being anti-intellectual, so you should be able to define what is an
intellectual?  Otherwise, what are you complaining about?   

[Arlo]
Complaining? You asked what intellectuals do, I simply said that they write
books about metaphysics. Don't you consider Pirsig an intellectual? I certainly
do. This is a little bit, though, like asking if someone is an "athlete". Ask
ten people if golfers or billiards-players are athletes and you'll likely get
mixed answers. (Is a referee at a soccer match an "athlete", considering they
run as much if not more than the players?) What about someone who sails around
the world, an "athlete"? What about someone who rows in river races? What about
someone who drives a speed boat?

But yeah, I think Pirsig, you, me, Platt, DMB, Ham, Bo, Krimel, John, Ian...
all of us... we're all intellectuals here.

"But I don't want to go among intellectual people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all intellectual here. I'm
intellectual. You're intellectual."
"How do you know I'm intellectual?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."