Jeff
Your suggestion that "Pirsig concentrates on quality as a positive absolute" may be why it seems
that the MoQ does not jive with the Taoist perspective.
While the MoQ does have some absolutes:
"Quality was value. They were the same thing" Lila-pp 58 "
"There's a principle in physics that if a thing can't be distinguished from anything else it doesn't
exist. To this the Metaphysics of Quality adds a second principle: if a thing has no value it isn't
distinguished from anything else. Then putting the two together, A thing that has no value does not
exist." pg 114
"Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions." Lila-pp 64
"Quality is the primary empirical reality of the world" Lila-pp 67
"Static Quality is the class of stable or accepted values, patterns, laws, customs, and theories
that societies have formalized and that change little over time. "Dynamic Quality", on the other
hand, are those values which are outside of any society, that cannot be contained by any system of
precepts, but have to be continually rediscovered as a culture evolves" Lila-pp 58 "
"Quality is morality." Lila-pp 97
These and other "absolutes" like them are part of the map, the metaphysical system, and as such are
analogous to Taoism positing that nothing existing singularly, left requires right, up/down etc.
So while internal to the Taoist system " all is relative & there are no absolutes" before one can
apply the system one must accept the "absolute" rule that reality is composed of counterbalancing
pairs. And though I'm unfamiliar with the precepts of Taoism I'm sure it has other such metaphysical "absolutes."
But like Taoism once one accepts the "absolutes" of the MoQ system I would say that internal to the
system " all is relative & there are no absolutes" Everything is dynamic changing moment to moment.
Delicate balances must be maintained, internal to the static levels, level to level, pattern to
pattern, and patterns to whole for high quality events to occur.
In my Tuesday post I addressed the positive aspect of Quality, but would go on to add that this is
just my convention that if under the MoQ one wishes to assign "low quality" negative values and
"high quality" positive values it in no way negates the system.
I also just don't see,
> The blow dealt the MOQ is that from a Taoist perspective, there are a multitude of relative qualities
> that play havoc with the MOQ. Examples: a poor quality dish in a high quality restaurant is mixed
> quality;
Not only do relative qualities not play havoc with the MoQ it could be claimed that they are what it
explains best. First and foremost it would say that the "quality" of restaurant experience would be
based on the dynamic relationship between the all intellectual, social, organic, and inorganic
patterns present at the event from the point of view of the one making the judgment. Thus from my
POV, "what is a high quality restaurant experience," will most probably differ from yours, although
after we eat we could discuss it using the structure of the MoQ and possibly come to some agreement
why we have these views. But if you are a Terry Bradsaw, as in the recent TV commercial, and have in
place a static pattern of social values that says one does not eat raw fish, then from your POV what
I might view as highest quality sushi restaurant in the world still serves "bad dishes". I could go
on relates "biological qualities" to cleanliness or healthiness of the food, or "social qualities"
like my buds hang out there, or "inorganic qualities" such as the lighting, decor, or overall
arrangement of the place, but in the end all these relative and interrelated patterns of value are
mediated , both consciencely and unconsciencely, and the experience judged either good, bad, or
something in-between. I would admit that if the food kills you it's acceptable, under the MoQ, to
view it as a negative. But only from your dynamic, intellectual, and social perspective, your
"leftovers" still would have some organic and inorganic qualities the worms would find very GOOD.
3WD
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