[MD] The Word is Not the Thing

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Platt]
You proved my point with this incoherent post. Hofstadter firmly believes in
the "oops" theory of creation so I'm not surprised you idolize him. 

[Arlo]
Oh yes, I idolize him. How remarkably astute of you.

Hofstadter, like Pirsig, and other great postmodern thinkers and Zen Masters
have no trouble accepting the recursive, paradoxical self-reflexivity of
language. Sorry this continues to escape you, I thought you showed some real
signs of understanding in your last post, but then you dropped the ball. Pirsig
is weeping.

"All this is just an analogy". A great postmodern statement made by someone who
expected, unfortunately, his audience to be able to understand that applying
the statement to itself produces... gasp!... paradox.

Indeed, it was self-reflexivity that led young Pirsig away from conventional
thinking and into the postmodern realm (applying scientic method to the
scientific method).

So while Pirsig and Hofstadter, Zen masters and postmodern thinkers, all see
funny statements like "its a fact there are no facts" and aren't troubled by
what you, humorously, find to be some relevant "gotcha". Its as if the world
stood still for you since Zeno.

[Platt]
And to compare yourself to Zen Masters -- what more is there to say? 

[Arlo]
Horrible rhetoric, Platt. Is this really the best you can do? Yes, I compare
myself to Zen Masters. I am ego. I am a god. You caught me. How very astute!

What I said...

[Arlo previously]
"Quality is undefinable" is, in fact, a definition. More rocket science!! And
while Zen Masters and postmodern thinkers get this easily, for some reason it
appears to be beyond you.

[Arlo]
Since both Zen masters and postmodern thinkers do understand the inherent
paradox in language, to the point where for them its a kid's game to spot it,
only you seem to be always standing on the outside looking in. Zen masters, via
Koans, have long addressed the very incompleteness of language. 

Saying "its a fact there are no facts" to a Zen master would get you a smile,
maybe some pity if s/he felt you truly were perplexed by that. Pirsig and other
postmodern thinkers have also, for quite some time, had little trouble with
incompleteness, self-reflexive paradox and "contradiction" created by ANY
symbolic system. 

Again, when Pirsig wrote "All this is just an analogy", postmodern thinkers and
Zen masters nodded. Only you seem to think "catching" him in some linguistic
contradiction represents "incoherence". Sad for you, really. 

If you actually want to pervert that into "Arlo compares himself to a Zen
master", knock yourself out. You don't need my help to look any more foolish.

[Platt]
Anyway, your paranoia about Limbaugh and talk radio always manages to surface
when you get unstable. So it's time to move on.  

[Arlo]
Well, you weren't addressing, nor have offered, any substantive point
whatsoever. Its pretty obvious you were just out to attack me. You seem to get
that way when some talk-radio buffoon has your nads in a wad about them evil
acerdimics, so I figured this was just another opportunity for you to attack
one of those ivory-tower elitist pinhead acedimics that are ruining the world
(along with newspapers, of course).