[MD] Unreality of Equality

[Platt Holden]

> [Arlo]
> First off, I think you are grossly misrepresenting Pirsig. Remember that
> that criminal has equal moral value (once the biological threat to
> society is contained).

I'm glad you added the parens above because your point about "DQ-
enabledness of man" as being his true value only holds for those who do 
not represent a "biological threat to society." The brujo was not a 
terrorist or criminal, nor were  the contrarians cited by Pirsig   
kidnappers, murderers and rapists. The value of such biological 
criminals who are not "contained" is definitely lower than others. 
Otherwise, Pirsig would not have insisted on the need to destroy them 
with "complete moral ruthlessness."

"And this is a war in which intellect, to end the paralysis of society 
has to know whose side it is on, and support that side and never 
undercut it. Where biological values are undermining social values 
intellectuals must identify social behavior, not matter its ethnic 
connection, and support it all the way without restraint. Intellectuals 
must find biological behavior, no matter what its ethnic connection, 
and limit or destroy destructive biological patterns with complete 
moral ruthlessness., the way a doctor destroys germs, before those 
biological patterns destroy civilization itself." (Lila, 24)

I don't think Pirsig would advise us to watch out for anti-social 
behavior and "limit or destroy it" if it wasn't perpetrated by people 
of lesser moral value than others.         

I know you don't want to leave anybody out of your radical 
egalitarianism, but just as some things are better than others, some 
people are more moral than others, i.e., they have more value. Just as 
there is a difference between drinking Dom Perignon out of a fine 
crystal goblet or a jelly glass, there's a difference between an 
Einstein and Jack the Ripper.

Platt