3WD
A few comments on your issues with Pirsig on his definition of society,
alien or artificial intelligence and how to view art.
1 Society and the social. I agree with Pirsig here, and have previously
argued against allowing ants and other 'social' insects to be pulled into
this definition. Read 'Dark Nature' by Lyell Watson for a fuller
understanding of the evolutionary advance that Pirsig is pointing to by his
usage.
2 Alien or artificial intelligence. This is my favourite candidate for
endorsment of Wilber's critique that metaphysics can be "thought without
evidence". It's just a game of 'Let's pretend'. ET is imaginary, for heavens
sake.
The important point, which is very difficult to make, that lies below this
charade, is that any metaphysics is human centred. It must be. Human beings
are equipped to experience the world in a rather limited way, and even
though science expands our understanding in some directions, and imagination
in others, both are based totally on what we, as human beings, are capable
of experiencing directly. What Pirsig calls quality is only the limited span
of 'what is' that becomes evident to human beings. Pirsig is valuable when
he is clear eyed about this, but becomes murky when he drags in conceptual
baggage such as in his tendency to use the authority of science to support
an evolutionary morality.
In his defense, you can't write anything without words, and words are
already separate to the reality to which they point, so at some point a
metaphysics is just an absurdity. This is the mystic view.
3 Art. Wilber, in 'The Eye of Spirit', offers the best analysis of art I
have come across.
"Art is in the Maker" when viewed as, "first and foremost, the expression of
the feelings or intentions of the artist." (p 105) In this understanding,
"the key to the correct intepretation of a text - considering "text" in the
very broadest sense, as any symbol requiring interpretation, whether
artistic, linguistic, poetic - the key to correct interpretation is the
recovery of the maker's original intention ... the art critic, to be a true
critic, must also be a psychoanalyst."
"Art is in the Hidden Intent" is the understanding that underlies such
critiques as Freudian, or Marxist, or Feminist art criticism. They are
"symptomatic theories; they view a particular artwork as symptomatic of
larger currents, currents the artist is often unaware of - sexual, economic,
cultural, ideological." (p 108)
"Art is in the Artwork" inspired formalism, which held that "the meaning of
a text or an artwork is found in the formal relationships between elements
of the work itself." (p 109)
"Art is in the Viewer" inspired "various theories of 'reception and
response'", which assume that "the meaning of the artwork can only be found
in the responses of the viewers themselves." (p 110)
Which is right? Wilber says they all are. "The nature and meaning of art is
thoroughly holonic ... each context will confer a different meaning on the
artwork." (p 112)
Each of the above, of course, can be comfortably located in one of the four
quadrants Wilber asserts are necessary to fully explicate reality.
Wilber also makes a subtle but incisive point about the error in postmodern
deconstruction (sorry Erin) when he says that while deconstruction chose to
see reality as "nested lies, deceptions within deceptions forever", a truly
holonic understanding views art as nested truths. "A comprehensive art and
literary theory will of necessity be concentric circles of enveloping truths
and interpretations." (p 113)
This sounds remarkably like Pirsig's view of art, and ideas. There is not
just one quality. We can choose from what is available. (Sorry Bo) I think
Wilber has the better explanatory system, which agres with your assessment,
3WD, that "even though Wilbur's "internal/ external" take may have problems
it still has less of them than Pirsig's".
Regards,
John B
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