To the 'MD Jury',
Platt has suggested we go to the 'MD Jury' and see what you all think. I
know that many have already chimed in on the side of provisional truth
(Horse, Andrea, Erin, etc.). But everyone's viewpoint would be
appreciated.....
PLATT:
You have yet to refute the many examples of absolute truth I have given in
previous posts ranging from insignificant statements in LILA to the horror
of the Holocaust.
RICK
If you insist on having your 'examples of absolute truth' exposed before the
'MD jury', than I shall oblige you...
First, I would like to point out to the jury that in the many examples
I've shown Pirsig has EXPLICITLY denied a belief in absolute truth (p114 to
name just one of these many instances). Platt has tried to refute this by
pointing to instances where Pirsig makes 'unqualified statements' or uses a
word like 'always' or 'absolute' and claimed that these IMPLICITLY prove
that he does believe in absolute truth. He has yet to point to even one
single example of Pirsig EXPLICITLY professing a belief in an absolute
truth.
Pirsig's metaphor of 'writing in pencil' EXPLICITLY answers Platt's
theory that Pirsig's use of 'absolute statements' (words like 'always' and
'absolute') should be taken as a sign that he believes in absolute truths.
Pirsig's 'pencil metaphor' is essentially a shorthand for the 'E-Prime' idea
that Erin brought up several weeks ago. But rather than the exhausting use
of qualifiers that E-Prime employs, Pirsig simply issues the blanket
qualifier that even the most scientific of truths are written in pencil.
As for Platt's specific examples....
PLATT
Want more Pirsig absolute truths? Here is just a sampling:
"Cars rolling over a bridge in the distance sounded clearly through the cold
night air."
"The cold deck on his bare feet really woke him up."
"After Phaedrus left Boseman he saw Dusenberry just twice."
"Dusenberry was born in Bozeman and had graduated from college there."
RICK
Platt claims in the first line that these are examples of 'absolute
truths'. However, I pointed out that they were merely 'absolute
statements'. But nobody has ever questioned the existence of 'absolute
statements', that is, nobody has questioned the existence of statements that
contain a semantic element of certainty. The issue is whether the
truth-value of the statements can be considered absolute.
The quote tells us that "After Phaedrus left Bozeman he saw Dusenberry
just twice." Platt tells us this should be read as ABSOLUTE TRUTH! Yet,
Platt himself couldn't vouch for even the mere historical accuracy of the
quote. Thus as Andrea points out, "...in Platt's line of reasoning you
could easily conclude that *all* truths are absolute: that is, that every
sentence is either false or an absolute truth." This is why even when
confronted with a proposition he doesn't know to be true, like the quote
about Dusenberry, Platt must claim it's an absolute truth... either that, or
he must call Pirsig a liar.
PLATT
If you want to stand up in court and deny the destruction of the Trade
Towers or, like Erin, the inevitability of death, be my guest. I don't think
a judge will be amused.
RICK
Now you've exposed your ignorance of yet another subject. Even the highest
standard of proof in any court is only 'proof beyond a reasonable doubt'.
You know why Platt? Because everyone knows that 'proof to an absolute
certainty' is an impossible burden to meet.
PLATT
Also, if you can't see that the statement, "All we've got is a handful of
sand off of an endless landscape" purports to be an absolute truth, then
there is absolutely no point in continuing this particular discussion which
has gone on far too long anyway.
RICK
Clearly, we can all see it is an absolute STATEMENT. But if you can't see
that Pirsig wrote the statement (and all of the rest of his statements) 'in
pencil' then you're wearing blinders.
So now I ask the MD Jury...
Is there anyone among us who will agree with Platt's assertion that Pirsig
believes in absolute truth?
Anyone?
thank you
Rick
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:01:52 BST