when you ask about an a priori justification, what exactly are you looking for? particularly when you try to look for it with reference to such socially variable/almost arbitrary categories on the order of "excellence" and its presumed inverse "mediocrity"?
i like politicophile aristotle post above and think it comes as close as any i can think of to answering the question, but it switches the terms at the same time.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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