Lila Squad
Diana recently posted that soon the 25th anniversary edition of ZMM will be on
the shelves, in November Lila will be 8 years old, and this group has been
discussing MoQ for several years, during all this time and countless
discussions; What is the central question always in the back of our minds?
My guess is: Does MoQ have Power?
Does the Metaphysics of Quality have "the ability or capacity to act or
perform effectively" to provide humankind (or anyone) with a better
foundation for reality than those systems that are currently in use?
Right now would any of us be willing to "bet our lives" that 50 or 100
years from now MoQ will be the dominate philosophic system in the world or
even any significant part of it?
I use this time frame because even with a relatively fast progressing
philosophic shifts such as what happened with Marxism, with conditions ripe
and Marx and other powerful people actively promoting his ideas, it took from
1848 until around 1917 before Marxism had sufficient power to make a
significant impact on society. And many did, and still do, "bet they're lives"
on the underlying philosophy.
So, does MoQ currently have sufficient power to significantly change the
course of philosophy over the next 50 years? If,right now, I had to vote yes or
no, I would reluctantly have to say, no. Why?
First, it's a metaphysics, and as Pirsig is quick to point out whole schools
of philosophy have been developed over thousands of years which have evaded,
avoided, or in general dismissed metaphysics as truely necessary element of
philosophy.
Second, it is an isolated metaphysics. This is not just because Pirsig is a
philosophic "outsider." For many of this ilk have made substantial
contributions in the past. The main reason it that it has no "legs".
Governments are not overthrown without "Quality Manifestos". Investors do not
read "The Metaphysical Journal" to gauge the economy. Just as the intellectual
level does not directly control the biological, neither does a metaphysics
directly dominant societies. Whole other bodies of philosophy ei: politics,
economics, ethics, must be in place before that metaphysical power can be
transfered in a usable form to affect change.
Early in Lila Pirsig indicates he settled on metaphysics because:
1. it was something he was familiar with and found interesting.
2. it would save having to write a completely new philosophy from scratch.
3. it could potentially be slid under all the existing systems, use their
existing structures with little change, they become demonstratively better,
and MoQ would become the defacto base of reality.
One and two are only gemane to Pirsig and folks number three didn't and ain't
happen'n. with sufficient force to keep latched. Better look for plan "B"
In a more practical moment later in Lila, Pirsig suggests, rather the attempt
to graft his new root stock on the thousand year old trees of existing
philosophy, that MoQ is a continuation of a twig, on a small branch called
pragmatism. While a much more humble beginning, I feel this approach has much
higher chance of success. This is why I feel the issues of power and
pragmatism are key to the life of MoQ.
Some have said we don't have a clear grasp on the basic issues or a "catchism"
for MoQ. I on the other hand am coming to conclusion that we are trying to
cram to much into MoQ.
Take the issue of other levels, be they mystical, quantum, energy, or what
have you. Pirsig claims that these are all in MoQ. Ok mystics you're in,
you're a part of reality, MoQ says so. But guess what? Until you develop
corresponding bodies of thought that clearly transfers this newly granted
"power" of reality down to the individual nothing has changed and nothing
will. So it's not MoQ that needs to be changed but whole other
intellectual,social,biological, and inorganic systems and for that power is
not just needed but mandatory.
Dave Thomas
MOQ Online - http://www.moq.org
