[MD] Chance

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Platt]
Survival, the opposite of death, is "equated with the best, which is to say
Quality." (Lila, 11)

[Arlo]
No. Survival is "better" for other survivors maybe, since then we would not
experience "loss". Since even Pirsig (gasp) has never experienced death
first-hand, I don't think he can say with any certainty that "life is better
than death". He can say that having others "not die" is better for him, and I'd
fully agree. 

And, I think you'd agree, that equating "survival" with "the best" is not a
good association, since then we are equating those who "do not survive" with
"the worst". Certainly those who do not survive are not "inferior" to those who
do. 

[Platt]
Language consists of a lot more than analogies.  It involves "the collection
and manipulation of symbols, created in the brain, that stand for patterns of
experience." (LC,25).

[Arlo]
Umm.. "that stand for"... analogy.

[Platt]
It involves similes, metaphors, personifications, apostrophes, allusions,
alliterations, epigrams and many more figures of speech.

[Arlo]
Gee, you left out punctuation. All language is metaphorical, these grammatical
categories mean nothing to that end. This is like saying a painting is more
than a metaphor because it involves paint, canvasses, pigment and texture. Sure
it "involves" all those things, but that does not change the fact that it is a
metaphor.