Platt Holden (pholden@worldnet.att.net)
Mon, 26 Jan 1998 10:48:34 +0100
Hi Diana and LS:
The esthetic aspect of DQ seems clear to me. Pirsig says.'
"Dynamic Quality (is) the value force ... that chooses an elegant
mathematical solution to a laborious one, or a brilliant experiment over an
confusing, inconclusive one ..." (Lila, Chap. 29).
"The first good, that made you want to buy the record, was Dynamic Quality"
(Chap. 9)
" … the Dynamic Quality all around shone through ..." (Chap. 9)
" … with the same sense of wonder, mystery, excitement created by the music
and heart attack in the previous examples." (Chap. 9)
"He many have personal motives such as 'pure fun,' that is, the Dynamic
Quality of his work." (Chap. 11)
"It was applied to manifestations of skill, fortune, blessing, luck, to any
wondrous occurrence. It connoted any phenomenon that transcended the run of
everyday experience. In other words, 'Dynamic Quality.'" (Chap. 9)
What words do we see Pirsig using to describe DQ? Elegant, brilliant, first
good, shone through, wonder, mystery, excitement, pure fun, skill, fortune,
blessing, luck, wondrous, transcended.
He also uses words like "curiosity," "surprise" and "compels attention."
But throughout Lila, Pirsig emphasizes the positive, poetic, esthetic
aspect of DQ.
My interpretation of DQ runs something like this:
Deep within the human spirit is an immortal instinct, a sense of the
beautiful, that gives us our most profound delights. But there is still
something distant we know of but cannot grasp -- a supernal beauty that
remains forever beyond our reach. We know it exists, for in rare moments it
grants us a fleeting, tantalizing, indeterminate glimpse. It is, as Pirsig
describes, the "conceptually unknown." It attracts both scientists and
artists alike, challenging them and us to uncover its mystery and reveal
its unimaginable artistry. In our hearts we know the quest is impossible,
but we will forever struggle to see or hear with shivering wonder and awe a
sight or sound not unfamiliar to the angels.
Romantic you say? Yes. But most of the words Pirsig uses to describe DQ are
thoroughly romantic.
So instead of saying DQ is more pleasing or more compelling than SQ, how
about saying it is more attractive? That would still cover the negative
esthetic aspect of DQ that you, Magnus (and Pirsig) point out, but still
retain an inkling of the positive -- the beauty. Or combine the last two
sentences. "Dynamic Quality seeks what is better, more attractive, more
moral that static quality."
Platt
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