[MD] D i a l e c t i c

[X Acto]

djh responds:
I disagree.  As mentioned to dmb - *huge* chunks of Lila (most of the book) - would never be written if we spend no time understanding folks values.  What people value - what's a good life - living a good life - that's the whole point of philosophy.  
 
{Ron}
We ARE talking about folks values, their intellectual values. The aim of living a good life is developing sound critical thinking skills
and that includes clarity and precision in thought and discussion. We can have a good discussion if you want to explore what
it means to "live a good life". I suspect what this discussion is turning towards is exactly this topic and I think it would clarify
things alot to make this a thread subject and dialecticly expand on it. Dialectics is a whole nother matter which I'd like to
pursue and I'll do that in my next comment below.
 

 
The goal of dialectic was, and still is to philosophic minds, to reach aporia. It is a critial thinking skill that orginated in Elea that
was taught to Socrates by Protagoras I believe, I could be wrong, but the point is that it was a method to gain clarity and precision
by logically reducing prejudices and assumptions by argueing to the best of your abilites, both sides of an arguement. Even though
all your values stand pro to one side of the disagreement. It was a call to unbiasly consider both sides of an arguement with equal
consideration. It aims at the highest quality, and that is the true, the highest value, the highest good.
Read the Socratic dialogs, it goes on and on about what is best and that is to aim at precision and clarity in all that you do, its what
it means to be honost socially, healthy biologicaly and wise intellectually its what it means to aim for excellence.
 
The Socratic dialogs proceeded to apply this tool to the question of what does it mean to lead a "Good" life?
Socrates interlocur was a hedonist and argued for selfish good but out of this dialog Socrates breaks down
what we mean by "good" and that the best things are a mixture, not just any mixture but a harmonious mixture
of goods. Therefore the highest good is pleasurable. 
 
We aim for excellence because it leads to a more pleasurable life.
 
 
.
Sounds alot like what RMP is driving huh.
 
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