[MD] Knots

[MarshaV]

On Nov 3, 2010, at 2:24 PM, david buchanan wrote:

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> dmb replies to Mark and Platt:   
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> I can sympathize with your mental health problems and it's easy to see how you might feel a kinship with Pirsig because of that but that does NOT entitle you to distort what Pirsig says. And once again Pirsig's meaning is the very opposite of what you say it is. He said:
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> "Phaedrus thought that no other historical or political analysis explains the enormity of these forces as clearly as does the Metaphysics of Quality. The gigantic power of socialism and fascism, which have overwhelmed this century, is explained by a conflict of levels of evolution. This conflict explains the driving force behind Hitler not as an insane search for power but as an all-consuming glorification of social authority and hatred of intellectualism. His anti-Semitism was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His hatred of communists was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His exaltation of the German volk was fueled by it. His fanatic persecution of any kind of intellectual freedom was driven by it."
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> In the larger context of these remarks, Pirsig is saying that the history of the 20th century can best be understood as a conflict between social and intellectual values. In this particular passage, he is saying that ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM is the key to understanding fascism in general and Hitler in particular. The driving force behind fascism is "an all-consuming glorification of social authority and HATRED of intellectualism". In that sense, Platt, you have much more in common with Hitler than you do with Pirsig.
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> Pirsig says, "a culture that supports the dominance of intellectual values over social values is absolutely superior to one that does not."
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> If you need to believe certain things in order to maintain your sanity, those beliefs will be impervious to criticism. They are too important, too central, too crucial in their supporting role. But this supporting role is psychological, not intellectual. The intellectual value and validity of such beliefs isn't even relevant because that's just not what it's about. This explains the frustration I've been complaining about, that's for sure. We've been playing two completely different games the whole time and your game simply isn't about what's true. It's about mental hygiene.
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> Marsha, is there something you'd like to tell us?

 
Marsha:
Sure.  My self is a flow of ever-changing, interdependent, impermanent, inorganic, biological, social and intellectual static patterns of value within a field of Dynamic Quality.  What is there for your insults to land on?   
 
 
 
 
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