From: MATTHEW PAUL KUNDERT (mpkundert@students.wisc.edu)
Date: Wed Aug 13 2003 - 16:19:46 BST
Platt,
Paul quoted:
"It is important for an understanding of the MOQ to see that although 'common sense' dictates that inorganic nature came first, actually 'common sense' which is A SET OF IDEAS, has to come first. This 'common sense' is arrived at through a web of SOCIALLY APPROVED EVALUATIONS of various alternatives. The key term here is 'evaluation', i.e. quality decisions. The fundamental reality is not the common sense or the objects and laws approved of by common sense but the approval itself and the quality that leads to it." Lila's Child Note 97
Platt:
Love the quote. It's vital.
Matt:
Whoa! Whoa! Let's all take a second to catch our breathe here folks.
Is it just me or did I just see Platt give the thumbs up to intersubjective agreement?
On a related note, I do love the quote, which as far as I can tell has Pirsig interpreting objectivity as intersubjectivity, but I wish Pirsig hadn't said, "It is important for an understanding of the MOQ to see that although 'common sense' dictates that inorganic nature came first, actually 'common sense' which is A SET OF IDEAS, has to come first." The whole "come first" part I think leads to pointless chicken and egg squables. We will never get to the bottom of which came first. Our linguistic activity is completely tied up with the world as we experience it. Our common sense does say that inorganic nature came first, but the moral Pirsig should've drawn is that we can't pull common sense off of inorganic nature (i.e. we can't pull our linguistic activity off of nature). He can still then move to his point about socially approved evaluations. Which is a point about intersubjectivity. Which I still can't believe Platt is buying into unqualitatively, unless this mark
s the beginning of Platt's pragmatic turn. I mean, Platt, you have been agreeing with me more lately. (Though, as of last month you were still talking about universal laws and stuff.)
Say it ain't so Platt. You made such a good foil for my insights. Without you, they won't be insights, but simply common sense.
Matt
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