Hey Erin,
> ERIN
> >What about when the person wants to die, such as letting the prisoner
commit
> >suicide if he rather be dead then a life of imprisonment
> >
> >RICK
> >Pirsig says it is generally immoral for society to kill a criminal
because
> >he still a potential source of ideas. Even a prisoner who wants to die
is a
> >potential source of ideas. I can't think of any reason it would be any
more
> >moral for him to kill himself (and destroy a source of ideas) than it
would
> >be for society to do so.
>
> ERIN: I am not sure if I get this idea thing--maybe this is hasty
conclusion
> since we don't have a clear view of the intellectual level? what about the
> freedom/rights of the individual to evaluate the quality and choose. If he
is
> in a situation in which he is not able to live in dignity do you think
that
> the degradation is necessary in case some ideas come to mind?
RICK
The MOQ doesn't protect individuals on the basis of 'human dignity'. The
metaphysical basis of human rights (according to the MOQ) is predicated
entirely on humans being a potential source of ideas. I am currently
writing an essay that explores this concept in depth so I don't want to give
too much away now, but I'd be eager to see if anyone can find something in
LILA that contradicts this.
>
>
> >ERIN
> >or assisted suicide in terminally ill patients who are suffering.
> >
> >RICK
> >I think Pirsig would give the same answer again. That is, barring a real
> >threat to the social structure itself, it is immoral to prematurely end,
or
> >possibly even fail to preserve, any potential source of ideas (there may
be
> >interesting implications for abortion politics here).
> >
>
> ERIN:
> In his foreward he mentions a few interesting things...
> 1) After Chris died he mentioned that he was going on living more out of
habit
> then anything else. (not for preservation of any ideas)
>
> 2)He considered aborition of Nell.
> (until this dissociation occurred the potential ideas of Nell didn't seem
to
> be a concern)
>
RICK
Don't confuse Pirsig with the MOQ. In LILA, Phaedrus eats a steak dinner
despite the MOQ's moral endorsement of vegetarianism. Just because one
believes one path is more 'moral' than another doesn't mean one will always
choose that path... there are bases of decision making other than morality
you know.
PIRSIG
> "I said, 'Wait. Stop. Something's wrong.' What it was, was unknown, but
it was
> intense and I didn't want it to continue. It was a really frightening
thing,
> which has since become clearer. It was the larger pattern of Chris, making
> itself known at last. We reversed our decision, and now realize what a
> catastrophe it would have been for us if we hadn't.
RICK
Perhaps it was the larger pattern of Chris telling him to change his mind.
Perhaps it was an acknowledgement of his own thoughts on what is moral.
Either way, the man is not his work.
rick
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