Hi Craig,

> 2) [Steve]
>> free will is a meaningless term in the MOQ.
>
Craig:
> But how can the term be meaningless if it refers to a real experience?

What I meant by that claim is that as Pirsig said in Lila, "In the
Metaphysics of Quality this dilemma doesn't come up." Likewise, as
Pirsig says in LC, if "...the MOQ can argue that free will exists at
all levels..." then the term is rendered meaningless for the function
of distinguishing human beings from animals as the term is
traditionally used to do.

To explain once again why in the Metaphysics of Quality this dilemma
doesn't come up, note that it is just one more version of the
question, is the Quality in the subject or the object? (as all of
Pirsig's Platypi are). The dilemma of free will versus determinism is
to wonder to what extent the locus of control for human action exists
internally in the subject or is imposed externally by objects (or
other subjects). Note also that Pirsig's reformulation of the issue in
MOQ terms does not answer this question at all (nor should it since it
is an SOM based question). Pirsig says that to the extent we follow DQ
we are free and to the extent we follow static patterns we are not,
but the original question is to know to exactly what extent that is!
We already knew that the subject's choices are constrained by reality
(so this is simply not the powerful insight that dmb thinks it is).
But how far do these constraints go? The MOQ says, mu. It denies that
the world is a collection of subjects and objects, and so denies the
underlying premise of the original question.

Best,
Steve
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