What, Why & How do we Know ?
Re-reading ZMM It had to happen, after reading Phaedrus, and Dr Willis, and strangely after a dinner conversation alluding to Ahab’s peg leg. (The analogies with Moby Dick are patent – The New Yorker). Pirsig says … [Quote] [Most] of the time I’m feigning 20th C lunacy …. so as not to draw attention to myself. … Continue reading “Re-reading ZMM”
The Paradox of Progress by Dr James Willis [Quote] Throughout this book, I have used my experience of general practice as an analogy for life in a technological world … I have quoted some of the things they say in order to show the wisdom, love, humanity of ordinary people.[Unquote] A thoroughly recommended read, even … Continue reading “The Paradox of Progress by Dr James Willis”
Dr James Willis – Author of “The Paradox of Progress” and “Friends in Low Places”. Writing in a medical / healthcare context, but spot on the main theme of recoiling from hyper-rationalism. [Quote] Most of all we need to keep technology in its proper place, as the servant of the individual person, not the master. … Continue reading “Dr James Willis”
Dithyramb – Today’s word. Nietzsche keeps using it, along with other allusions to Dionysus, and today I find it used by Socrates in his dialogue with Phaedrus as recorded by Plato. A frenzied, passionate, enthusiastic, exhalted, inspired, wild, irregular piece of discourse, from the form of the original passionate choric poems and dance in praise … Continue reading “Dithyramb”
Warm Fuzzies – A paper by Michael Meier Published in 1993 on the Pirsig / MOQ site, claims to be about those warm fuzzy desires that get omitted from software “specifications”. Actually it doesn’t go far enough IMHO, most of the anecdotal “warm fuzzies” (like the feel / balance of a hand-tool) are ones that … Continue reading “Warm Fuzzies”
Armed Liberal – A political blog which shares with Psybertron Google hits on Pirsig, Cellular Automata and the war on bad philosophy !!!
Chrucky’s paper (yesterday’s blog) covers interesting ground, even if the purpose is a catholic religious / abortion argument about what constitutes a human person. The concept of whether “morals” are something fundamental and whether consciousness and communication shared between “persons” are really part of some social contract, existing at tacit levels to build on more … Continue reading “Social Contract”
Concepts of Persons and Morality. Picked up this draft article by Chrucky (pr Kroosky) of Meta-Encyclopedia of Philosophy fame (see my glossaries, dictionaries and encyclopedias resource page.). Chrucky is a an “Emergent Materialist” or “Animal Realist” which sounds close to where I’m headed, and the idea that humans may have fundamental motives relevant to communication … Continue reading “Concepts of Persons and Morality”