ROGER REPLIES TO GLENN

GLEN:
I read all of Anthony McWatt's paper and I could not find my question in
it, much less the answer. There are some questions at the end of the paper
directed to Pirsig about the static nature of evolution and time and some
kind of paradox which I didn't fully understand (and neither did Pirsig),
but these were not my question. Did I miss something?

ROG:
Here is your question, which if taken at face value would imply that the MOQ 
is rather daffy:

GLENN:
Finally, there's this business about DQ creating substance during 
quality experiences. There's no empirical evidence for this, and it 
contradicts science because a rock that you create and which you 
claim to be several minutes old can be carbon-dated and shown to be 
several million years old. Also, this idea of humans creating 
substances like rocks on-the-fly contradicts another part of MOQ, which 
states that the inorganic level evolved and pre-dated humans. In this 
case either evolution is wrong or the creative power of DQ is not true. 

ROG:
The paper answers your question of how the MOQ can rationally suggest that 
objects are created out of DQ without being absurd.
 
"Quality is the changing flux of reality that logically 
comes before any conceptual distinctions such as subjects and objects are 
made. The concepts of subject and object are commonly confused with the 
essence of reality because they have become such a common apparatus for 
describing, understanding and analysing that reality."

"Pirsig ....believes that subjects, objects, and 
events are only concepts applied to reality."

It is the static concept of a rock that is created.  And of course, this is a 
concept that includes such qualities as hardness, grayness, flecks of dirt 
and several million years old carbon. The inorganic level does not predate 
humans....in fact it does not predate Pirsig.  It is a static concept used to 
simplify and condense a huge range of dynamic reality into an easy to use 
package. The MOQ does not contradict science, evolution is not wrong, and 
Pirsig can build a coherent metaphysics  where reality (DQ) is defined as 
dynamic and flowing and concepts and patterns are derived from and out of 
this reality. 

Hope this helps.

Rog 




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