... but first some NEWS
If you haven't already noticed we have two excellent new contributions
to the Forum:
On Quality 28 Aug '99
A critical reading of Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance and Lila. A Complete postgraduate thesis from Ian Hornsby
which adopts a narrative style modelled on Pirsig's contemplation of
composition and Quality.
Creating an Organismic MOQ19 Aug '99
John Beasley surveys a number of the key strands in the thinking of
Robert M Pirsig from the perspective of the organism, a perspective that
allows bridging between the ideas of a metaphysics, the encounter with
different levels of experience, and the ability to encounter dynamic
quality within unmediated experience
You can read both of these at <http://www.moq.org>
There is also a new review of ZMM 25th Anniversary edition in a Canadian
newspaper, The Globe and Mail, and you can read the online version here:
<http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Focus/19990828/FC28ZEN.html>
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The faq, rules and charter for the Lila Squad are below. Please read
through this, even if you've been here for ages as I have made some
changes from last time:
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LILA SQUAD CHARTER
The LS is a focus group which complements and adds an extra dimension to
our open discussion group - MOQ_discuss. The LS takes a single question
related to Robert M Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality each month and
explores that to the exclusion of all else. We feel this is valuable for
the following reasons:
1. Focusing on one subject at a time allows us to dig more deeply into
it.
2. The planning and coordination of debates ensures we all study and
discuss the same subject at the same time.
3. Our members can participate meaningfully even if they only have an
hour or two a week to follow the list.
4. The clearly defined topic makes it easier for others to join in and
follow the debate.
*****************************************************
LILA SQUAD RULES
1. Members must have read both Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
and LILA.
2. Members may post only one message every 24 hours (except for PROGRAM
topic suggestions and voting in last week of month).
3. Members must answer the program question in every post and must not
pursue topics that may distract from the program.
4. Members must express themselves clearly, concisely and courteously.
They should not use html email nor send attachments.
*****************************************************
LILA SQUAD PROGRAMS
In the last week of each month we have an open vote to decide on the
program for the next month. All our members are encouraged to suggest
and vote for topics. Our voting procedure is as follows, where day 0 is
the first day of each new month:
day -6: Call for topics.
day -3: New moderator consolidates all topics, posts list to the squad
and reminds that voting will start on day -2.
day -2: Voting begins (00:01 hrs GMT)
day -1: Voting ends (24:00 hrs GMT)
day 0: Moderator counts votes and posts new topic and subscribers begin
dialog
Rules
* Members can vote for one topic only.
* Suggestion of topic and vote for topic are separate.
* If members suggest topics or vote before the set days these will be
held back until the set days and then posted to the list.
* In the event of a tie the moderator will decide.
* The moderator may reword the topic question to make it more conducive
to constructive dialog on the MOQ.
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LILA SQUAD STEERING COMMITTEE
The Lila Squad Steering Committee is Diana McPartlin, Magnus Berg, Horse
and Keith Gillette. Every month one of us takes a turn at monitoring the
posts -- this means we will read them before forwarding them to the
group and may return posts which do not adhere to the rules.
Any LS subscribers may apply to join the committee after they have been
active members for three months.
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LILA SQUAD FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How does this mailing list work?
It's an email-based discussion group. When you email the list your
mail is distributed to all the other people who have subscribed to this
group, so we can all join in the dialog together. You are welcome to
jump into any discussions that interest you or you can initiate your
own. If you've never been a member of a mailing list before we
suggest you check out this page on netiquette (ie Net-etiquette):
<http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html>
which tells you the commonly accepted standards of behaviour on
mailing lists.
How do I post to this list?
Send an email to the mailing list's email address exactly the same
way as you would send an email to a friend. You can use any email
program - Eudora, MS Outlook, Netscape mail etc. This list's email
address is lilasquad@moq.org <mailto:lilasquad@moq.org>. Our computer
will automatically add the prefix LS to your post, you don't have to do
that yourself. The prefixes are intended help you separate your LS mail
from the rest of your mail.
How do I unsubscribe from this list?
Send an email to majordomo@moq.org <mailto:majordomo@moq.org> with
unsubscribe lilasquad
in the body of the mail. Don't write anything else in the email. The
subject line will be ignored so you can write anything you want or
leave it blank.
Why do you have two mailing lists on MOQ.org?
The MOQ.org mailing lists - MOQ_discuss (MD) and the Lila Squad
(LS) - serve two very different purposes. The MD is a straightforward
discussion group. It is unmoderated and you are free to raise and
discuss any topic related to the MOQ. The LS is run as a series of
workshops. Each month we take a single question and investigate it
to the exclusion of all else. The LS is moderated so if you send a post
that is not directly related to the monthly PROGRAM then it will not be
allowed into the discussion.
Think of MOQ.org as a giant online conference - in one room we have
lectures, in another we have workshops and in another we have open
dialog. By offering a variety of methods of communication we create a
richer and more productive experience for all participants: you can send
essays to the Forum, you can join the MD open area or the LS workshops,
you can enjoy private conversations with other members or you can just
sit at the back and lurk if you want. We don't ask you to participate in
everything, but we do ask that you respect the distinctions between the
different areas of MOQ.org and help us make them all good in their own
ways.
I have something to say that is relevant to both MD and LS, can I post
it to both?
Posting the same mail to two lists is known as cross-posting and is
generally considered bad netiquette because it defeats the purpose of
having two lists. If your post is relevant to the LS topic then post it
there only and pursue it that topic in that forum for the rest of the
month, after that you should continue the dialog on MD.
Can I talk about this month's LS topic on the MD?
Discussing the same topic in the open forum and the focus group at the
same time can be disruptive and confusing as posts go back and forth
between the two lists. In the interests of maintaining a high quality
dialog in the LS focus group we ask that you refrain from discussing the
LS topic of the month on the MD for the duration of that month.
I've posted to the mailing lists several times and nobody has
responded, why not and what should I do?
The lack of face-to-face interaction on the Internet means that it can
be difficult to gauge other people's reactions to your posts. There
may well be people reading and learning from your posts -- you just
can't tell. Don't take it personally and keep on posting. Keep your
posts relevant, well-informed and courteous and you'll soon win the
respect of the group.
Somebody has made a nasty, sarcastic reply to one of my posts,
what should I do?
This is a philosophy discussion group and there's really no need for
this kind of behaviour, but still, it happens. Don't waste your energy
on it. Either reply calmly asking for clarification, or ignore it and
devote your time to something more constructive instead.
How can I send an essay for the Forum on the MOQ.org website?
Send it to the webmaster, ie Diana (diana@hongkong.com
<mailto:diana@hongkong.com>), preferably in plain text in the body of an
email. Please don't use any fancy formatting unless essential because
we'll just have to undo it all to convert it to HTML for publishing on
the web.
How can I send a bio for the Members page on the website?
Send it to Diana, as above.
What is the copyright situation regarding posts and essays?
MOQ.org retains the right to publish all posts submitted to our mailing
lists in our archives only and the right to publish essays submitted to
our Forum on our website only. We will not use your contributions in
any other publication or media without your written consent. All
contributors will retain copyright over their own work. That means you
are free to sell it to other publishers if you wish, and if anyone
plagiarises your work or reproduces it without your permission it will
constitute a breach of copyright.
How can I help you develop MOQ.org?
If you've only just joined we suggest you hang around for a few weeks
and get to know us. If you understand what we've done in the past
and what we're doing now you'll be able to contribute more effectively.
If, after the honeymoon period is over, you're still interested, think
of what you can do constructively to develop MOQ.org. If you can't
think of anything specific but you still want to help, email us because
we have a long list of things that we would like to do but never get
round to.
This is an abridged version of the FAQ that appears on the MOQ.org
website at: <http://www.moq.org/faq.html>. If you have any further
questions please contact the list administrator.
*****************************************************
Diana McPartlin
<mailto:diana@hongkong.com>
Lila Squad List Administrator
MOQ.org - http://www.moq.org
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