[MD] Social Ants?

[Platt Holden]

[Platt]
> As Pirsig said, the battle between the social and intellectual levels is
> still going on in America today and the winner has yet to be declared --
> the social morality of political correctness, multiculturism, diversity
> and affirmative action vs. the individual morality of freedom and
> personal responsibility.
> 
> [Arlo]
> All that text just to set up another political commercial? I have a
> better ending for your post...
> 
> As Pirsig said, the battle between the social and intellectual levels is
> still going on in America today and the winner has yet to be declared --
> the social morality of individual wealth, power and greed vs. the
> intellectual morality that understands arete as "a respect for the
> wholeness or oneness of life, and a consequent dislike of
> specialization. It implies a contempt for efficiency...or rather a much
> higher idea of efficiency, an efficiency which exists not in one
> department of life but in life itself..", "an understanding of what it
> is to be a part of the world, and not an enemy of it".

First, greed and power have little to do with social morality. They are 
biological value patterns. Second, arete in Lila is not intellectual 
morality. "It looked as though the Victorian translation of arete as 
"virtue" might be better after all since "virtue" implies ritualistic 
conformity to social protocol." Third, I don't find the quote about 
"oneness of life" in the MOQ. Reminds me of the following:

Q: What did the Buddhist say when ordering a hot dog.
A: One with everything.

If you want to stick to your New Age Hippie ideas, fine with me. Just 
remember that the Hippie oneness " . . . became a moral rebellion that 
failed." 

Platt