[MD] Capitalism: my experience

[Ham Priday]

Hi Platt --



> Seems to me, Ham, that your assertion of an absolute
> qualifies as "arbitrarily chosen as the leitmotif of [your]
> thesis."
>
> Seems to me your "Essence" also qualifies as a "primary
> source beyond description," your own "non-theistic God."
>
> But don't you think we've about exhausted our efforts in trying
> to convince one another of our respective positions? We both
> seem to have reached the stance of, "That's my story and I'm
> sticking to it."

Yes, I suspect we are intractable in our respective worldviews.  And, once 
again, I've come to the conclusion that my participation here is not 
contributing to the advancement of either philosophy.  But before we close 
this dialogue, I want to make one more comparison which will address your 
comments from a metaphysical standpoint.

Essence is, of course, the foundation of Essentialism.  In that sense, it 
does replace 'God' as the ineffable primary source of creation.  Unlike the 
arbitrary choice of 'Quality', however, Essence is consistent with the logic 
of  'ex nihilo nihil est' (nothing comes from nothingness) as the uncreated 
source.  It does not depend on  human perception (e.g, experience or 
intellect) for validation but is self-fulfilling, transcendent, and 
independent of space/time differentiation.

> Quality is not "independent of and prior to everything else,
> including experience." It is experience, or if you prefer,
> "contiguous with it." If you must search for a "first cause"
> (which only leads to infinite regress) consider it to be
> experience, or as some prefer, "consciousness.".

If Quality is not independent but equates to:experience, it is not the 
primary source.  I think Pirsig is ambiguous about this.  He claims that 
"the first division of Quality - the first slice of undivided experience - 
is into subjects and objects," but he does not directly posit Quality as the 
primary source.  We are left to infer that connotation from his description 
of objects as "patterns of Quality".

Personally, I think the author's cause would have been better served had he 
avoided the term "metaphysics" altogether, as it's a continuing source of 
confusion in interpreting his philosophy.  As a euphemistic portrait of the 
experiential world, the MoQ fills a particular niche in postmodern 
literature.  Although it demeans the integrity of the individual as a free 
agent, the Quality hierarchy has obvious appeal to academia and the New Age 
community.  It offers a "feel good" perspective of existence that elevates 
Value above the mundane, and the quasi-fictional novel approach has 
attracted the lay audience as well.  If nothing else, I'm indebted to RMP 
for his insightful analysis of Value in a socio-historical context.

Unless you have something to add, that's my last word on the subject, Platt. 
Thanks for another pleasantly stimulating exchange.

Best wishes,
Ham