[MD] subject/object: pragmatism

[Platt Holden]

> [Platt]
> I see Pirsig referring to morality as reality, quality, goodness and 
> betterness. So he pretty much covers the waterfront. Personally I like  that
> he has released the term "morality" from the confines of culture and built a
> rational metaphysics on the basis of that's its better to exist than not.   
> 
> [Krimel]
> And yet you frequently argue from the point of view of the superiority of
> your particular culture and its particular set of moral codes. But I would
> agree to some extent with the idea that it is better to exist than not.

[Platt]
I argue for the superiority of a particular culture based on Pirsig's moral
hierarchy, as he explained:

"A culture that supports the dominance of social values over biological 
values is an absolutely superior culture to one that does not, and a 
culture that supports the dominance of intellectual values over social 
values is absolutely superior to one that does not. It is immoral to speak 
against a people because of the color of their skin, or any other genetic 
characteristic because these are not changeable and don't matter anyway. 
But it is not immoral to speak against a person because of his cultural 
characteristics if those cultural characteristics are-immoral. These are 
changeable and they do matter." (Lila, 24)

In other words, I think multiculturism based on the premise that all 
cultures are morally equal is bunk, the British teacher in Sudan facing 6 
months in prison and 40 lashes for allowing her class to name a teddy bear 
Mohammed being a current case in point.