Platt said:
So why did you omit communism in Pirsig's definition of programs for
intellectual control of society? You must mean there is no "meaningful
difference" between communism and socialism. If so, we agree.
DMB says:
You never fail to miss the point. For the million and oneth time, its all
about distinquishing between social and intellectual values. No meaningful
difference between socialism and communism? Of course there are real
differences, but yes, they are both programs for the intellectual control of
society. So was the New Deal. So is liberalism. I'm sure there are more 4th
level political ideologies. Take your pick. But don't pretend capitalism is
a 4th level ideology. The only reason I failed to mention communism is
because it has never existed. According to Marx, commusnism occurs at the
end of history and is defined as the total dissolution of the state. Its the
ultimate utopian pipe-dream and I seriously doubt if it ever will exist. But
socialism is easy to see. There is Canada, which has the best human rights
record on earth. France and England are examples of a good mix. They were
the home of the Enlightenment and have the longest traditions of modern
democracy. Holland is a good example, a very liberal and humane society.
There's still lots of room for improvement and they all have their share of
reactionaries, but its unreasonable to expect perfection with something as
messy as the distribution of money, power and authority. Boys will be boys,
you know. These things are still being worked out. Historically speaking,
programs for the intellectual control of society are still very young.
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