[MD] Progress in art?

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting Ant McWatt <antmcwatt at hotmail.co.uk>:

> As William James once (supposedly) said: "A great many people think they are
> thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
> 
> Platt commented June 12th:
> 
> Equally true of philosophers, scientists and political commentators. All 
> marshal
> their arguments to support their premises, as indeed you did in your MOQ 
> thesis.
> 
> Ant McWatt replies:
> 
> No, I don't think so.  This sounds just like more post-modernist pluralism 
> (a.k.a. bullshit?) to me.  If this is the case, why did _you_ think that 
> Pirsig has a better grasp of reality than other philosophers?
> It wouldn't be because he "marshalled" better and more well thought out 
> "arguments to support" his "premises" by any chance?

He marshaled good arguments as do many, but it was his initial premise or 
"prejudice" that that I found "grasping reality" better -- that reality is
Quality.  

> In another post, in response to the "post-modernist charge", Platt then 
> quoted from LILA, Chapter 8:
> 
> "One can then examine intellectual realities the same way he examines 
> paintings in an art gallery, not to find which one is the 'real' painting, 
> but simply to enjoy and keep those that are of value.
> There are many sets of intellectual reality in existence and we can perceive 
> some to have more quality than others, but that we do so is, in part, the 
> result of our history and current patterns of values."
> 
> Ant McWatt comments:
> 
> This painting illustration is an analogy and not to be taken literally.

Oh? Is Pirsig's assertion that truth is a high quality intellectual pattern not to
be taken literally, too?

Best regards,
Platt





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