From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Fri Jul 22 2005 - 21:00:59 BST
Hi Ant, All:
Ant:
> I know you have used this phrase of “biological terrorists” for quite a
> while but as far as the MOQ is concerned I think it only allows a socially
> driven terrorist (e.g. on the grounds of religion) or an intellectual one
> (on the grounds of injustices). And even with the latter, there starts the
> further issue of one person’s terrorist being another person’s freedom
> fighter.
I don't believe that for a minute. Muslim terrorists have no concept of
political freedom. Furthermore, as far as the MOQ is concerned,
"biological terrorist" is an appropriate description. From Lila, Chapter
24:
"Phaedrus had had no answer at the time, but he had one now. The idea that
biological crimes can be ended by intellect alone, that you can talk crime
to death, doesn't work. Intellectual patterns cannot directly control
biological patterns. Only social patterns can control biological patterns,
and the instrument of conversation between society and biology is not
words. The instrument of conversation between society and biology has
always been a policeman or a soldier and his gun."
> One of the people who received a doctorate in Liverpool on the same day as
> myself earlier this month was John Hume who was an Irish politician who
> convinced Sinn Fein (the political arm of the IRA) to give up the armed
> campaign against the British occupation of Ireland and, instead talk.
> (Hume received a Nobel peace prize for this political work, btw). As Hume
> made clear in his acceptance speech for his PhD, armed violence only
> divides people further while dialogue brings them closer. Your labelling,
> therefore, of other human beings as simply “biological terrorists” is
> therefore not helpful especially when keeping in mind my supervisor’s
> (Prof. Stephen Clark) observation that nearly all so-called terrorist
> atrocities in this world are caused – somewhere down the line – due to a
> serious injustice.
Your professor sounds like an apologist for killers, blaming someone other
than the perpetrators of crime. As for engaging biological criminals in
dialogue, I repeat what Pirsig wrote:
"The idea that biological crimes can be ended by intellect alone, that you
can talk crime to death, doesn't work. Intellectual patterns cannot
directly control biological patterns. Only social patterns can control
biological patterns, and the instrument of conversation between society
and biology is not words. The instrument of conversation between society
and biology has always been a policeman or a soldier and his gun."
> Considering the Pirsigs and myself were in central London only two days
> ago, I would appreciate it with you being a supporter of the US-UK
> occupation of Iraq, to carefully keep in mind what I’ve said to you above.
> Next time, the Pirsigs and myself might not be so lucky.
I know. Blaming the terrorist attacks in London on the liberation of Iraq
was the first thing out of the mouth of George Galloway and the Socialist
Workers Party. That you share their views is not surprising. But I am
surprised you would argue that case on the grounds that next time the
Pirsigs and you may not be so lucky-- an obvious "argumentum ad
misericordiam."
For those looking for "root causes" of the terrorist attacks in London, I
suggest a careful re-reading of Chapter 24 of Lila and to contemplate
deeply the following passage:
"In the battle of society against biology, the new twentieth-century
intellectuals have taken biology's side. Society can handle biology alone
by means of prisons and guns and police and the military. But when the
intellectuals in control of society take biology's side against society
then society is caught in a cross fire from which it has no protection."
Best regards,
Platt
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