Subject: [MD] Who am I? My name is Stephen Hannon. I am a college undergrad at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, majoring in civil engineering. I've actually only taken one philosophy class; a lot of the hardcore philosophy talked about on this forum is simply out of my intellectual reach. I still like this group because I think that Pirsig has an important and interesting view of how the world works, and ideas on how to improve it. (snip) The fact that I am religious, I think makes me prefer ZAMM to Lila. Or maybe it's because I can more easily understand it. I think there are several points in ZAMM where the character's thought process resonates with religious people.
Ron: Welcome Steve, I currently work in civil eng. I do not have my PE but I do a lot of design just the same. Interested in hearing your thoughts about how Pirsigs thought process resonates with the religious. Steve: I am Catholic. This may upset a lot of people here as many of you are anti-theistic. However, I will still talk about religion as best I can, although I don't understand a lot of the theology behind it. Ron: I don't think most here will be upset, but they may challenge you about talking about something you admit to not understanding. Personally I'm fine with religion; I think it points to the same place Pirsig does, my only gripe with Christianity in general is the absolutism it demands. I think the ideal of Plato's theory of forms as worked out in the allegory of the Christ has power and usefulness when viewed in the proper context. Steve: I just recently read a book called "The Genesee Diary" by Henri Nouwen. The author spends seven months living the life of a monk, leaving all behind except for a few books; ZAMM is one of them. Ron: The life of a monk is all about breaking static patterns to develop awareness of the dynamic in experience. Steve: I am often influenced by what I read. Aside from the aforementioned ZAMM, Lila, and Genesee Diary, some of my other favorites include: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl "The Art of Possibility" by Benjamin Zander "Mere Christianity" and "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan "Acts of Faith" by Eboo Patel Hopefully I can be a contribution here on this forum, looking forward to delving into the unknown future. Ron: I look forward to it as well. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
