[MD] Labels and Ostracisms

[118]

Hi Arlo,
I am fine with dropping this.  Let me just point out that Pirsig's remark was within a certain context.  Look up the transcripts.  To blindly take such a remark and run with it is either disingenuously promoting your own feelings or just being misinformed.  I am sure that there is a third option there to.

Sent laboriously from an iPhone,
Mark

On Nov 28, 2011, at 11:04 AM, Arlo Bensinger <ajb102 at psu.edu> wrote:

> [Arlo previously]
> Since the MOQ is anti-theistic, and it opposes SOM, this statement is about as gross a misunderstanding of the MOQ as I've seen. But this just proves my point.
> 
> [John]
> Really? How so?
> 
> [Arlo]
> Pirsig himself says his philosophy is anti-theistic. The only way it could be redefined as a 'theism' is if everything, including atheism is defined as a theism. At that point, everything is a theism and the word has no meaning, since you've defined it so that everything is, ipso facto, "theism".
> 
> I am not going to repeat this argument that has appeared here numerous times. It's all in the archives.
> 
> [Mark]
> I think the point is, what kind of message are you sending with this anti-theistic movement that is any different from the rest of modern philosophy?
> 
> [Arlo]
> I am not sending an anti-theistic message, Pirsig is.
> 
> [Mark]
> Perhaps you are viewing theism at arms length as a static dogma.
> 
> [Arlo]
> Right, here's where the redefinition to force the label comes in, just as I mentioned. I am not interested in redefining "theism" so that you get to keep a label you appear so vehemently stuck to. Pirsig described his philosophy as "anti-theistic", if that offends you, or if you have to twist around a whole lot of definitions just so that you can call his philosophy theistic, then you're just proving my earlier analogy.
> 
> As I said to John, I have no interest in pursuing this argument. Been there. Done that. But thanks for proving my point. Appreciate that.
> 
> 
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