From: hampday@earthlink.net
Date: Thu Aug 12 2004 - 05:17:40 BST
From Ham Priday, Wednesday, August 12, 2004, 12:15 AM
Subject: Re: MD Proposal to discuss a Metaphysics of Value
> msh says:
> I can't speak for Dan, who speaks well enough for himself as you will
> discover, but I do have a few more questions of my own. Even though I
> get the sense you are not interested in answering very precise
> questions, since you've ignored several already, I'll try again:
>
> 1) Will you please explain how it is that your thesis is metaphysical
> while Pirsig's is sociological?
You and Dan must be the "attack dogs" in this group. If only you two
could be as devoted to an earnest exploration of Philosophy!
I'm not saying that Pirsig doesn't have a metaphysics -- that's obvious by
its MOQ apellation. But it should also be obvious that the metaphysical
foundation for my philosophy of Essence is clearly laid out in the thesis.
Surely one can't be expected to fully comprehend a philosophy by
reading between the lines of a semi-autobiographical novel. "An inquiry
into morals"? -- perhaps; but, apart from the "SODV" paper, where has
your celebrated author postulated his metaphysics as a formal thesis?
> 1) What is it about "Essentialism" that you consider to be a unique
> contribution to Philosophy? I've read your thesis and see nothing
> original. However, I'm often wrong, so, please point me in the right
> direction.
I think the immanency concept is unique in that it makes Essence
accessible to man (as Value). Pirsig has chosen Quality to designate
this conjunction, for reasons that I don't yet understand, while making it
clear that these terms are are equivalent. The notion of a subjective
essence probably originated with Plotinus, but Aristotle and his followers
had posited "essence" as specific "entity types" in an objective reality,
which is where the positivists still search for it today..
> 2) Am I wrong in thinking that your personal values are derived from
> your philosophy? If not, please provide me with a line of reasoning
> that concludes with the idea that the world will experience a quality
> latch-up if George Bush is able to pirate another four years in
> office.
It's more likely the other way around, although I've never given it much
thought. Because I value individual Freedom and want our society to
preserve it, I tend to be "conservative", though I really don't care for
labels.
I do worry that the perception of Government as a continuous source of
"entitlements" and a means of redistributing the nation's wealth in
accordance
with the pseudo-morality of "political correctness" is undermining our
freedoms
and lowering our standards in the international community. (Ayn Rand had
a lot to say about the affect of such trends on free enterprise, as did
economist Milton Friedman.) Since visitors to my site say they want Value
and Freedom illustrated in a societal context, this election year seemed a
propitious time to add a commentary page. I have no "political agenda", but
the idea that George Bush "pirated" the 2000 election is simply ludicrous.
> 3) You say you have read "most of ZMM." I would be interested to
> know at which point you decided you had read enough. In answering
> this question, it might be prudent to consider that you are talking
> to people who have probably read the book all the way through, maybe
> even more than once.
I had looked at ZMM back in the '70s, but was skeptical that a book about
motorcycles could have anything serious to offer on philosophy. I managed
to read about half of it last year before having to return it to the
library. (If it will make you feel any better, I purchased LILA in
paperback and found it a much better read.)
Do I get a passing grade for these answers, Mark?
Best regards,
Ham
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