[MD] sq social - sq intellectual

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting "Laycock, Jos (OSPT)" <Jos.Laycock at OFFSOL.GSI.GOV.UK>:

> Unfortunatly here, the war on terror is a clash of societies. 
> Two of Pirsig's giants are fighting and cultural patterns on both sides are
> sacrificing/devouring biological lives for their own ends. 
> 
> If an intellect wants to subordinate a cultural pattern it should go right
> ahead, but MOQ implies this should come from within the society not without.
> Pirsig never talks about cultural clashes or wars, so we don't have clear
> guidance.
 
Pirsig gives his view of cultural clashes in the following statement:

"A culture that supports the dominance of social values over biological values is
an absolutely superior culture to one that does not, and a culture that supports
the dominance of intellectual values over social values is absolutely superior to
one that does not. It is immoral to speak against a people because of the color of
their skin, or any other genetic characteristic because these are not changeable
and don't matter anyway. But it is not immoral to speak against a person because
of his cultural characteristics if those cultural characteristics are immoral.
These are changeable and they do matter." (Lila, 24)

I would submit that Islamic Fascism does not support dominance of social values
over biological values, nor does Islam support dominance of intellectual values
over social values. Thus, by terms of the MOQ moral hierarchy, Western cultures
are morally superior to Islamic cultures. Islamic cultures are changeable as 
witness the effort by many in Iraq to establish a democracy where the intellectual
values of free speech and freedom of religion from state interference would 
guaranteed by law.

Platt
 

 


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