[MD] The Trouble With Wilber

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Platt]
It's no great leap or distortion to go from right-wing politicians to 
capitalists. Left-wing politicians are socialists.

[Arlo]
In your dichotomous world, of course. For the rest of us, that's just 
tired, cliche propaganda. The rhetoric of fear talk-radio so 
eloquently deploys.

[Platt]
To my mind what defines right-wing politics is support of capitalism. 
Pirsig came across as a New Age liberal in ZMM. In Lila he changed 
his tune, becoming a right-wing supporter of capitalism. And in Lila 
he had less than flattering things to say about the professor class:

[Arlo]
I don't see anything in ZMM that shows that he did not support the 
"free market". I know it makes your head hurt, but I'd call Pirsig a 
"left-wing supporter of capitalism". But, of course, that requires a 
vision that's not mired in "All Rightist are Good/ All Leftists are 
Evil" worldview.

Just because the free market is the best system for distributing 
commodities, does not mean everything is reducible to a market 
commodity. This is why I reject as absurd the notion that "only 
right-wingers are capitalists". I, for example, am all in favor of 
the free market to distribute cars, antiperspirants and DVDs. But I 
believe that there is superior value in publicly holding land (parks, 
forests and reserves), funding libraries and regulating essential 
utilities. The market should determine who drives a Ferrari and who 
does not, but it should not determine who lives and who dies.

Also keep in mind that Pirsig never denies ZMM, quite the opposite, 
in fact, calling it "the path to enlightenment". Hardly "changing his tune".

And since you're fond of the LILA quotes against professors, let's 
remember he also said that "conservatives who keep trumpeting about 
the virtues of free enterprise are normally just supporting their own 
self-interest. They are just doing the usual cover-up for the rich in 
their age-old exploitation of the poor." (LILA).

[Platt]
Pirisg may still call himself a democrat, but I bet he's a Kennedy or 
Lieberman democrat who supports capitalism and doesn't think we 
should surrender to terrorists like the current bunch of democrats in Congress.

[Arlo]
That's just more tired propaganda. Stop squalking and give it a rest.

"When George Bush was asked who was the greatest philosopher in the 
world he said: Jesus Christ. Right there I thought: 'My God, we are 
going to need Jesus Christ if this guy gets elected!'" (Pirsig).

Do we ever.

And on this note, Platt, I really am backing out of this.