Doug Renselle (renselle@on-net.net)
Fri, 16 Jan 1998 18:33:28 +0100
Diana, and The Lila Squad,
I know that we have had long and extensive discussions on the Principles
and whether to define or not to define. It is not my intention to stir
all of that up again, but...
One of the big reasons that Pirsig wrote ZMM and Lila is The Church of
Reason: The SOM idea that we can know absolute truth. Pirsig's whole
premise is that we need a new form of thought, a new philosophy which
rejects and subsumes this archaic legacy.
If you read Pirsig very carefully he is saying that, "...we know what
Quality is AND we don't know what Quality is..." For me, this is the
MoQ Uncertainty Principle! This is a key concept to the evolutionary
stability of MoQ, IMhO.
Pirsig, I believe, is telling us that we can define Quality AND we
cannot define Quality. In ZMM, he admits that this is a contradiction.
But it is only a contradiction if you are loyal to SOM. In the new way
of thinking, we admit the existence of uncertainty in everything. It is
there. We cannot do anything about it. So we integrate it into our
philosophy.
For me, the Principles are almost there, except for this one thing.
My literal interpretation of Pirsig's words, cast forward in time from
1974 to now tells me that he is saying this: Quality is definable and
undefinable. The part which is definable is Static Quality. The part
which is undefinable is Dynamic Quality.
My only reservation about the current set of Principles is what I wrote
above. Our diligence has asymptotically approached good, Quality
Principles. I think we will get even closer, if we make minor revisions
for my comments above, or add an MoQ Uncertainty Principle.
Let's fix that, "genetic defect within the nature of reason itself."
Mtty,
Doug Renselle.
-- "The cause of our current social crises,..., is a genetic defect within the nature of reason itself."By Robert M. Pirsig, in 'Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' p. 102 (paperback), Bantam, 28th edition, May 1982.
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