Krimel/Case asked:
Ant,
Would you agree that it is unfortunate that the MOQ excludes itself from
mainstream evolutionary thinking as a result of Pirsig's lack of contact
with say, Gould, Wilson or Dawkins?
Ant McWatt comments:
No, I’d say it’s unfortunate that mainstream evolutionary thinking has excluded
itself from taking on board the MOQ (though, to be fair, I think Dawkins
followed this Discussion group for a while in the mid-2000s)! If the
(metaphysical) basics that you rely on are problematic in the first place then
the value of your empirical work is going to be reduced accordingly. LILA
would have been a more interesting read if it had included reference to
thinkers such as Gould, Wilson and Dawkins but possibly that would have taken
out the fun for making these comparisons for yourself.
Krimel/Case then asked:
Doesn't his teleological view and his insistence on a "direction" for
evolution cripple progress on the MOQ?
Ant McWatt comments:
By “progress”, I take it that you mean academic acceptance in the Anglo-American
tradition? If so, I’d tend to agree with you though I think that’s more down
to the blinkered attitudes of these academics who can’t see beyond the
creationist/materialist options
and, in addition, are usually clueless about Zen (and/or Dynamic Quality).
Possibly, it comes down to how much weight that you put on the eventual
appearance of civilization, the Arts and Sciences in this universe. Explain
those just using the laws of physics! Personally, I do think they indicate a
general progressive direction; a creative impulse if you like but, critically
for the MOQ, one that does not require a pre-determined static plan and/or
creator.
Finally, Krimel/Case asked:
Would you care to comment on his failure to correct his mistakes in the Baggini
interview?
Ant McWatt comments:
Mistakes?!!! There’s mistakes by Pirsig in the Baggini interview?!!! My guess
is that you’re thinking of Pirsig’s comments in LILA concerning the Second Law
of Thermodynamics but, if not, you better be more specific.
.
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