[MD] Boromir's Journey

[X Acto]

Steve said:
You compare Eastern Enlightenment in Buddhism or 
Hinduism with Western Enlightenment as 18th century 
european cultural phenomenon.I understand what you 
are saying about pragmatists not being able to see 
Enlightenment as an epistemological achievement. A good 
point. You then say that what is left then is only bliss. 
Perhaps both forms of Enlightenment could also be 
understood in negative terms as overcoming anxiety.

Matt:
Yeah, that's true.  However, that just punches up what 
they have in common with what we might traditionally 
call the "religion impulse," and why Nietzsche derided 
"metaphysical comfort" and Heidegger called Platonism 
"onto-theology."  Pirsig makes the same connection at 
the beginning of ZMM: "[Phaedrus'] kind of rationality 
has been used since antiquity to remove oneself from 
the tedium and depression of one's immediate 
surroundings." (Ch. 6, 72-3)  

The most interesting thing I learned this past year was 
that the primary motivation of Greek materialism was 
cessation of mental suffering--materialism was _never_ 
taken seriously _by the propounders_ as a "metaphysical" 
thesis qua metaphysical thesis, which is why it usually lost 
in the face of even more comforting philosophies like 
neo-Platonism.  It wasn't until technology arose that 
showed how there was a _different_ kind of payoff for this 
thesis, the improvement of man's estate (as Bacon put it), 
that materialism began to be taken seriously.  At least, so 
says Hans Blumenburg.

The overcoming of anxiety is a _huge_, neverending 
motivation for our behavior.  And I think a lot of 
philosophy, and other spiritual activities, can be usefully 
seen under that rubric.

Ron:
A damn fine conclusion Matt, I've been giving this some thought
in a similar light, that the creators of axioms of thought took them
as provisional, an assumed point of beginning.
Establishing reference points in a realm of flux.
Creating (as you say, ) "castles in the ether"
Kingdoms of heaven?

As you say, the mythos grew and for reasons of comfort.
Comfort, and eventually of control. Popes as powerful as kings.

Platos glorification of the abstract, the best patterns, those of
virtue and wisdom and their benefits in leading a happier life,
 were taken quite literally when re-introduced
into Roman Christian culture. Greek philosophy was thought of as
Paganistic, Christians murdering philosophers (Hypatia of alexandria)
I believe the angle of the neo-Platonists was to keep these ideals alive
within the new religion of empirial Rome. Plontious (I believe) never
claimed to be christian. 
Sometimes Matt, I get the feeling Jesus was invented, at least the mythos
of Jesus, the Platonic ideal of the perfect form steeped in the cult of Dionysus.
Comfort is fine, and usefull but when mixed with the conflagation of
mythos as literal,....trouble.

Matt:

What you might make the move to from there is that the 
European Englightenment philosophers' way of alleviating 
anxiety in long run _merely exacerbates_ the situation, 
rather than proving to be a good long-term strategy.

Have you run across Richard Bernstein's Beyond 
Objectivism and Relativism, yet?  That's the book where 
he coins "Cartesian Anxiety" (the use of which I have 
strown about my blog and essays, like "Confessions").

Matt

> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:41:23 -0400
> From: peterson.steve at gmail.com
> To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
> Subject: Re: [MD] Boromir's Journey
> 
> Hi Matt,
> 
> I just read your post "What is Enlightenment?"
> 
> http://pirsigaffliction.blogspot.com/2006/03/what-is-enlightenment.html
> 
> You compare Eastern Enlightenment in Buddhism or Hinduism with Western
> Enlightenment as 18th century european cultural phenomenon.I
> understand what you are saying about pragmatists not being able to see
> Enlightenment as an epistemological achievement. A good point. You
> then say that what is left then is only bliss. Perhaps both forms of
> Enlightenment could also be understood in negative terms as overcoming
> anxiety.
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Best,
> Steve
> Moq_Discuss mailing list
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