[MD] subject/object: pragmatism

[David M]

Hi Matt

Minor point below..
the important thing in Greece wasn't Socrates, but Solon and Pericles--it 
was democracy, not philosophy.  It was the burgeoning of a democratic 
culture for the first time.  My main beef with Pirsig's social/intellectual 
split is that it is typical of a philosopher--social conventions on one 
side, life of the mind on the other.  It is elitist in the wrong way.

DM: Sure democracy and critical thought more generally is key to challenging 
religion, tradition and authority but the Greeks also
give us science via new sort of talk about reason, evidence and experience. 
Dewey tells this story pretty well. And science is a pretty
big player in out history as well as democracy. Also enlightenment 
protestantism is of course very important in the revival of free
thinking and also gives us capitalism and economic individualism which helps 
democracy and tradition bashing just a touch too.