Re: MD What makes an idea dangerous?

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Oct 28 2003 - 16:07:37 GMT

  • Next message: Platt Holden: "Re: MD What makes an idea dangerous?"

    Dear Wim,

    > You wrote 27 Oct 2003 09:04:32 -0500 that I seem to believe that social
    > values (I translate: social patterns of value) are permanent. I don't.
    > What made you think so?

    I thought so from your statement, "From a social level perspective
    hardly anything changes when from an intellectual level perspective
    major historical changes occur (like the overthrow of the Nazi regime
    at the end of the 2nd World War.)

    I took that to mean that once a German social level, always a German
    social level. I think social levels values are much more flexible than
    "hardly anything changes."

    > I only hold that social and intellectual
    > patterns of values change at different paces. Social change is much
    > slower than intellectual change.

    I agree that social changes are slower than intellectual. But we may be
    witnessing a rapid change in social values in Iraq today. What do you
    think?

    > What you describe as 'social values holding societies together' (I again
    > translate: social patterns of value that constitute societies) are for
    > me intellectual patterns of value that motivate people to hold societies
    > together (by aligning their actions). I don't think motivated actions
    > are all that important in holding societies together. Contrary to Pirsig
    > I don't think it's the IDEA of freedom that contributes to holding the
    > USA together, but the HABIT of behaving independently and of accepting
    > others as 'belonging' when they behave independently.

    I think it's a combination of the IDEAL and the HABIT. But without an
    IDEAL as a catalyst, no new habits would ever form, and societies such
    as the Zuni or Iraqes could never change.

    Regards,
    Platt

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