Hi Miv, Rick, everyone
> Jonathan wrote
> >It's a pity that this thread has now degenerated into arguing about
> >Pirsig's conscious and unconscious intent. I had hoped that we might
> >learn something by exploring the myths themselves.
>
Firstly, I apologise if the above was patronizing to the people involved
in the "argument".
There is a genuine issue involved here; Miv makes the point quite
forcefully.
MIV
> I think it is a mistake to assume that an action done unintentionaly,
must
> therfore arise from the unconscious. This assumption is based on a
> psychological model of mind, which is not necessarily true, and may
very
> well be in conflict with the MOQ.
[snip]
> There is a very fine distinction, not always easy to make, between the
> meaning that is found in the words, and the meaning that are given to
them
> by the reader. The act of reading is not passive.
I heard an amusing illustration of this in an interview of Douglas
Adams, author of the "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" and sequels.
Those of you who read the books will remember that the main character is
called Arthur Dent. Funnily enough, it tuns out that there was a Puritan
author called Arthur Dent who wrote a book called "The Plain Man's
Pathway to Heaven".
http://www.sdgbooks.com/sdgbooks/1-877611-69-7.html tells us the
following:
'This is one of the all-time Puritan devotional classics. John Bunyan
spoke highly of this work, saying he found many things that were
pleasing to him in it. It is another Puritan work using the pilgrimage
motif, but few enjoyed the widespread popularity that this one did. It
went through 25 editions by 1640, and 47 editions by 1831. ...ISBN
1-877611-69-7. Hardback, 332 pages."
Douglas Adams modestly admitted that the coincidence in the book titles
is completely fortuitous. He knew nothing about Arthur Dent the author
before a reader pointed out the link. Considering the light-hearted
nature of Adam's books, I am prepared to believe this.
However, a new issue arises when RICK writes the following about Pirsig:
>If by "Unaware" you mean that he had never heard of it.... who knows.
But
>if by unaware you mean it wasn't on his mind... then I reiterate the
YOU ARE
>WRONG.... By Pirsig's own words. He couldn't have said it anymore
>straitfoward than he did... Lila is not drawn from the Vedas.
Just like Phaedrus used Plato's own words to demolish Plato (and the
Professor), Pirsig makes it clear later on in Lila that he has studied
Hindu mysticism, giving us a celestial description of RTA, the Sanskrit
root of the English words art, rite, right, rote and many others. Thus,
Pirsig's choice of the name "Lila" is difficult to dismiss.
RICK:
<<<Maybe, but if Pirsig had called her "Mary" you would have thought it
was an
allusion to the Virigin.... If he had called her "Eve" you would have
said
"Adam".... If he had called her "Rebecca" you may have thought of
Jacob's
biblical wife... >>>
Certainly worth considering, especially if Pirsig had revealed himself
as a bible scholar.
Back to MIV:
> a. Did he intend the Hindu meaning?
Well, if he didn't want the reader to make this connection, it was
extremely careless to keep "Lila" as the name of the book. (BTW,
CARELESSNESS would appear to be the exact antithesis of Quality in word
and deed).
RICK
> Maimonaides, (a famous Jewish philospher of the middle ages) in a
letter
> about his book "A Guide to the Perplexed" (otherwise refered to as
"The
> Perplexer of Guides") speakes of "mistakes" that appear in a text. His
point
> of view is that there are two different kinds of mistakes:
> 1. Simple negligence - quite common amongst common writers of common
books.
> 2. In some rare books, of the rare guides (the sages), those who chose
every
> word with care and deliberation, sometimes an "error" appears. These
Errors
> are there for the wise only. They are the hidden signs left by the
author
> for the seekers of truth to follow.
>
> May I suggest my point of view that:
> A. RP is a writer of the second kind.
> B. The thread is worth following, even if it means Questioning RP's
> intentions in not telling us (or even himself) the whole truth about
LILA.
I agree completely where Lila="Divine Play" is concerned.
Regarding the other meanings/connotation of the name
> ... did any of you people know that LILA in Hebrew means NIGHT?
and
>"Lilith", the she-devil of Semitic
I am willing to accept that Pirsig didn't know or care. about these
meanings.
Jonathan
MOQ.org - http://www.moq.org
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