[MD] Intellectual activity

[Platt Holden]

Ian, did you miss Pirsig's observation about pragmatism?
 
> You supply great rhetoric, but no argument for "Pragmatists support
> totalitarianism". Let's smear our adversary rather than argue as usual.

Pirsig observes:

"The Holocaust produced a satisfaction among Nazis. That was quality 
for them. They considered it to be practical."

He presents not only an argument, but shows that pragmatism can lead to 
"moral nightmares."  Do you agree or not, or would you rather avoid the 
issue and smear me instead? 

> So, Pirsig's MoQ is a load of bull is it ? As you well know, I
> actually said "Pirsig's MoQ is the best model of reality I've ever
> come across."

So the MOQ is a "model" of reality. But you said all models are 
inherently flawed because "at the core of all attempts to symbolically 
code reality is paradox and recursion." So where in this "best model" 
is the paradox and recursion? Seriously, I'd like to know. Is it in the 
fact that a model of reality is also real? 

> Pragmatic, because it inherently accepts that everything evolves.
> High quality pragmatism, because its basis is that that nothing in
> this seemingly objective, subjectively symbolic, world is absolute.

Are you absolutely certain nothing is absolute? Are we condemned 
forever to make such self-contradictory assertions and consider them 
meaningful? Does logic always fail us in the end? 

> Your logic fails you when you take the ideas that quality is pragmatic
> and communists / nazis claim to be pragmatic and manage to conclude that
> pragmatism is therefore communist / nazi totalitarianism.

I never "took the idea" that quality is pragmatic. You seem to, but I'm 
not sure. What I said was, based on Pirsig's observation, that 
totalitarian regimes can justify their horrors as practical. Are you 
saying now that they can't? 

Glad you're back in fine fettle, 

Regards,
Platt