At 02:27 PM 3/10/2007, Arlo wrote: >[Marsha] Hmmm. I think Quality (a 'better' >word) is amoral. And rather than a drive >towards "betterness", a drive towards Quality is >a drive towards the amoral, dynamic Quality. Do >you disagree with this statement?
>[Arlo] Yes, I do disagree. [Marsha] And it's called the Metaphysics of Quality, not the Metaphysics of Betterness. m >Halfway through ZMM Pirsig writes "But some >things are better than others, that is, they >have more quality. ... Obviously some things are >better than othersbut what's the "betterness"? >-- So round and round you go, spinning mental >wheels and nowhere finding anyplace to get >traction. What the hell is Quality? What is it?" >(ZMM) Foreshadowing his later Dynamic/static >split, he writes "The reality of the American >government isn't static, he said, it's dynamic. >If we don't like it we'll get something better." >(ZMM) The impetus towards Dynamic Quality is an >impetus towards "something better", or >"betterness". As if to drive that home, Pirsig's >very next sentence reads, "The key word is >"better"...Quality." (ZMM) In LILA, Pirsig >mentions the Quality-Better pair saying, "One >seeks instead the highest quality intellectual >explanation of things with the knowledge that if >the past is any guide to the future this >explanation must be taken provisionally; as >useful until something better comes along." Here >again we see movement towards Quality being >framed as movement towards "something better". >(LILA) Again in LILA, talking about evolution, >Pirsig states, "The patterns of life are >constantly evolving in response to something >"better" than that which these laws have to >offer." (LILA) And, again as if to really drive >this home, Pirsig shortly thereafter says, "When >inorganic patterns of reality create life the >Metaphysics of Quality postulates that they've >done so because it's "better" and that this >definition of "betterness" -this beginning >response to Dynamic Quality-is an elementary >unit of ethics upon which all right and wrong >can be based." (LILA) I also think its worth >noting, even if only for literary analysis, that >Pirsig chooses to end both his books with these >statements. "It's going to get better now." >(ZMM) "Good is a noun. That was it." (LILA) >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/ 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/
