PBA: Because, once again, you are misrepresenting his opinion. He does not say that only his rationalists are right and that the others are wrong. He accepts the mystical Shittos as a valid and important part of our Mesorah. He just doesn’t think that they are Pashut P’shat. There is a huge difference there. You see it when you learn any Sugya. Some Rishonim have Dachuk Shittos. We don’t treat them with any less respect or dismiss them. But when discussing the Sugya we have to point out the Kashyas and why we think they are Kashyas. And sometimes we are forced to say that we cannot, in good faith, figure out how this Rishon read the Gemaras. It’s the same thing here.
Look, Slifkin is certainly not bound by your characterizations of him, but what you are saying here is very different from what you were saying before. And more importantly, that isn’t how I read slifkin (and yes, yes, of course I have read him).
To your first paragraph, you know that you are just being glib. You really find it entirely untenable to believe that Slifkin’s super-rationalism isn’t Kefira.
No, of course I don’t. And of course I couldn’t possibly.
But would it really be any more surprising if I did, than Slifkin’s deciding based on what he observes about the world which rishonim are right and which are wrong? And him finding it impossible to believe that there may be things about the world which he doesn’t understand?
That’s the whole point I was trying to make. Glibly.