[MD] Mao & The MoQ

[craigerb at comcast.net]

[Dave] 
> RMP's underlying liberal political bias (conscious or unconscious). 



Firstly, I don't think Pirsig has a political bias (conscious or unconscious). 
He is applying the MoQ to the social/political situation. 

Secondly, I think it's a mistake to look for the answer in the history of 

capitalism or socialism.  We had one fellow on the MD that tried to 

refute capitalism via a description of 1850 Manchester, England 
(& a misreading of Pirsig).  
Thirdly, I think the following kind of reasoning is misguided: 
1) LABEL1 is S 
2) LABEL2 is I 

3) I is better than S 

4) :. LABEL2 is better than LABEL1. 



Rather the reasoning should go: 
a) I is better than S 
b) :. to the extent that I dominates S within a system, that system is better. 

Then the discussion can focus on the extent that I does/doesn't dominate S 
within a particular system. 
(Of course, this still leaves us with the question I raised a while back: 

Is it better for  high quality social patterns to dominate  low quality 
intellectual patterns or vice versa ?)     
Craig