From: Ian Glendinning (ian@psybertron.org)
Date: Sat Jun 12 2004 - 11:06:22 BST
That quote by DMB from Chap 30 is one I have highlighted with many asterisks in my annotated copy of Lila.
"Nothing new under the sun" is a theme of mine, and I was immensley relieved when I found this line towards the end of Lila, because throughout ZMM and Lila, my attraction to MoQ was that is represented a statement of the blindingly obvious (scientific rationale being the main source of blindness). MoQ is right but its not new. It only looks new from the narrow perspective of the arrogance of western civilisation. (Ayn Rand ?!?! Do me a favour !)
Ian Glendinning
----- Original Message -----
From: David Buchanan
To: 'moq_discuss@moq.org'
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 4:41 AM
Subject: RE: MD Coherence and MOQ levels. part 1
Mark and all:
Mark quoted dmb:
And again, it can be seen in dmb's assertion that levels are part of the
oldest idea known to man: dmb 13-5-04: "What's my point? I suspect reality itself
is ranked and ordered somehow and its not just us imposing our hierarchies.
The idea seems too old, too pervasive, too useful and too well backed by
evidence for us to do anything but believe it."
Mark added:
Mark 25-5-04: There is no textual support in the MOQ for dmb's assertion.
Mark 18-5-04: Quality is the oldest idea known to man. You (dmb) suspect
levels are part of the oldest idea known to man. Therefore, you (dmb) suspect
levels are part of Quality.
dmb says:
Quality is the oldest idea? That statement is far too vague to be useful and does not accurately reflect Pirsig's thoughts on the matter. Here's the "textual support" that you imagine does not exist. It comes from chapter 30 of Lila...
"The physical order of the universe is also the moral order of the universe. RTA is both. This is exactly what the MOQ was claiming. It was not a new idea. It was the oldest idea known to man."
Sorry, Mark, but this claim is not controversial in the least. (I almost excluded the point for being too obvious.) Since the levels represent both a moral hierarchy and the structure of static reality at the same time, I think its easy to see that the levels are part of the oldest idea, which says the same thing; that the "physical" and moral orders are one and the same. You really don't see that?
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