ROGER WEIGHS IN ON DUALISM AND EVIL
To Struan, Platt, Lithien, Horse and David:
Great thread!
Horse and others have mentioned that the MOQ doesn't require evil, and Struan
is concerned with introducing a dualism into the MOQ. These are great points,
but I need to disagree (kinda) with both.
First, I would agree that dualism and subject/objectism don't belong in the
mystical experience of the quality event. But that is not what the MOQ is
about (exclusively). On pages 73 and 74 , Pirsig explains that metaphysics is
an intellectual activity (he calls it a degeneracy). I quote:
<<<Quality is indivisible, undefinable and unknowable in the sense that there
is no knower and known, but a metaphysics can be none of these things. A
metaphysics must be divisible, definable, and knowable or there isn't any
metaphysics.>>>>>
<<<The only person who doesn't pollute the mystic reality of the world with
fixed metaphysical meanings is a person who hasn't yet been born......>>>>
Pirsig skirts the dualism issue through his levels. Quality is indivisible,
but the intellectual level is all about division. Bo has been reminding us of
this for some time now.
Once he accepts that Metaphysics requires division, he slices it up like the
guy behind the cold cut counter. As for evil, he doesn't deny it, he explains
it. Evil is conflicts betweeen moral codes. The biological code says 'rape
her', the social code says 'no'. This is not just low quality or less quality
per the moral codes of that level, it is oppositional or in a different
direction. Yes, quality is all, and there is absolutely no need for some new
force called evil that is separate from quality. Evil is conflict between
value forces.
David introduces another interesting point about evil.....that repression of
DQ can be considered evil. This is off topic, but the recent movie
"Pleasantville" is IMHO a Hollywood version of the principles of the MOQ. It
isn't a great movie, but check out the theme....a movie about the dark side of
repressing DQ and freedom.
A metaphysics based on value requires value difference. Otherwise there is no
value. If the hot stove is the same temperature as your butt, it ain't hot. I
still feel Platt's original quotes are the most 'true' per the MOQ. But I
have learned a lot by discussing it.
Rog
homepage - http://www.moq.org
queries - mailto:moq@moq.org
unsubscribe - mailto:majordomo@moq.org with UNSUBSCRIBE MOQ_DISCUSS in
body of email
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:02:49 BST