Hi John B.
A paragraph in your post on "Overdoing the dynamic" of 16 Dec brought
me up short. You wrote:
> A good point. I think the original question assumes a lot, but it works well
> as a discussion starter, so that's fine. Pirsig seems muddled in Lila where
> at times he identifies dynamic quality or just quality with the good, and at
> other times talks about positive and negative quality, eg the hot stove. I
> am sorry that he reified the term morals to mean quality, which he says
> can't be defined. I would be much happier if he had kept the normal usage
> for morals, meaning what's good or bad for humans living in society. Quality
> undefined leaves all this up in the air!
If Pirsig had taken your advice and removed morality from the MOQ he
wouldn't have an MOQ at all. Nothing so marks the newness and
explanatory power of the MOQ than these words from LILA, Chap.7:
"Because Quality is morality. Make no mistake about it. They're
identical. And if Quality is the primary reality of the world then that
means morality is also the primary reality of the world. The world is
primarily a moral order."
Positive and negative quality, good and bad, depend on conflicts
between levels, as Pirsig explains:
"It's out of this struggle between conflicting static patterns that the
concepts of good and evil arise." (LILA, Chap. 13)
Why are are illicit sex, drugs, booze, and gambling considered social
moral issues? Because they biologically feel "good," but if left
unchecked can destroy society--a conflict of levels. I see nothing
"muddled" about that.
But why go on with more examples? The fact that you can't define
Quality as morality is no reason to throw it out. You can't define a lot of
things in this world, like the smell of rose and the taste of chocolate,
but you know them just the same. You certainly can't define experience
because that's what you are--quality, morality, value--all wrapped up
into one human being called John B, made up of static patterns of
value and capable of responding to Dynamic Quality.
Unless the MOQ means that, I've been barking up the wrong tree for a
long time.
Platt
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