Hi Andre,
Steve said:
> Perhaps it was just an off-hand literary flourish that we ought not take too
> seriously, but what do you make of the notion of taking off the glasses
> ("God help him.") in the passage from Lila (ch 8) quoted
> below?...
>
> Andre:
> Hi Steve, I think this is not 'an off-hand literary flourish' and for those
> who wish to follow that path should be taken seriously. I believe it refers
> to the comment Anthony makes in his PhD, (p 44) where he says: "As a
> development of Zen Buddhism, it's critical to realize that the MOQ can be
> perceived as reflecting the circle of enlightenment found in Buddhist
> thought...(in which Dynamic Quality is perceived via the static quality
> patterns)".
Steve:
The question I have about this quote is what would it mean for someone
to take his glasses off? I take it you see it as referring to Buddhist
Enlightenment, but how do we square Buddhism and pragmatism? Are we to
take the MOQ as what reality looks like without a lens intervening
between a mental eye and its object--that one true account of
The-Way-Things-Really-Are? Surely not. But then, how should we
understand what taking one’s glasses off means here?
I don’t think there is a way to take off the cultural glasses by
finding the right metaphysics (which may be a good way of stating the
mystic’s objection to metaphysics) since intellectual patterns depend
on social patterns for their existence. I think the MOQ can help us
“see better,” in the undefined Quality sense as well as in some
particular context-sensitive definable ways like dissolving
philosophical Platypi, but to continue the lens metaphor, I don’t
think we should think of the MOQ as helping us to see more _clearly_.
I also doubt that such is what is Pirsig's intention since the notion
of “seeing clearly” presupposes an objective Way-Things-Really-Are to
which subjective philosophical systems should try to conform. But then
again, I don't know what to make of seeing without the glasses when we
have denied the SOM picture of a single truth Way-Things-Really-Are to
which we need to get ourselves in proper relation in favor of the
formula reality=experience.
Best,
Steve
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