[MD] Transhumanism

[david buchanan]

Arlo said to John:
... conflicts over what an author "says" and conflicts over whether an author is "right" about something are different animals. ... I don't know of any other author who is accused of fostering "orthodoxy" by ensuring the clarity of their ideas.  ... I make no secret of where I disagree with Pirsig. But this makes it about ego and its not about ego. .., its about Pirsig saying "this is what I think, this is what I am proposing, agree or disagree as you see fit".



dmb says:

I'm with Arlo here. In fact, it has always baffled me how demands of clear thought can be taken as a form of oppressive conformity. If Pirsig had built a motorcycle instead of a metaphysical system, to use the most obvious analogy, that would be like taking the demands mechanical competence as a form of oppressive conformity. 

But the opposite is true. The ability to freely tinker with the machine, like using a beer can for a shim, totally depends on a precise understanding how the machine works. Some of the parts have to be very, very precise or they just won't work. As a result, there is just no way to successfully bullshit your way through a repair job. And I don't see why this should be any less true for metaphysics.


The point, of course, is that you should wear a helmut when you post here and be forever vigilant about gravel on the curves.


  		 	   		  
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