Hey Rob, Platt, and all:
PLATT
About their protestations that "there are no absolutes" (a self-
contradiction if there ever was one)...
RICK
See Rob... It's just what I told you. Platt is again responding to this
strawman 'there are no absolutes'. It's a position that's been supported by
no one in this forum. The actual position which Platt is misstating is that
'the MOQ does not insist on one exclusive truth.' Please notice that this
formulation (Pirsig's own formulation) is not self-contradictory. It leaves
room for the possibility of an exclusive truth without pronouncing on
existence of one.
PLATT
...I agree with Pirsig who in another context said, "But that the quality is
low is absolutely certain." (LILA, Chap.5)
RICK
Now Platt is trying to use an out-of-context quote to IMPLICITLY support a
position that Pirsig EXPLICITLY disavows in the quotes I included in my last
posts (the low quality of this logic should be self-evident). Platt seems
to have combed through the book, found an instance of Pirsig simply using
the words 'absolutely certain' and is now trying to convince you that this
use constitutes a philosophical position that indicates Pirsig would agree
that Physics is an objectively real and absolute truth. However, a little
context goes a long way...
The quote is drawn from Pirsig's 'sitting on a hot stove' discussion on
p75-76. Pirsig is describing the low-quality experienced by one sitting on
a hot stove and is making a case that experience of value is the primary
reality and is prior to intellectual experience. Pirsig's point is about a
pre-intellectual 'absolute certainty' of low value in the direct experience
of sitting on a hot stove (don't take my word... read it for yourself).
Notice that on p75-76 Pirsig tells us precisely what he is and is NOT
talking about... 'It is an experience. It is NOT a judgment about an
experience. It is NOT a description." He is EXPRESSLY NOT talking about
intellectual 'judgments' or 'descriptions'... like Physics. Since that is
the very point Platt was claiming Pirsig would agree with, I see no need to
go on.
it's all good
rick
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