Hi Rasheed, Dan, 3WD, All:
Amazing isn't it? Here are four reasonably intelligent people reading
the same book and coming to diametrically opposed conclusions.
Rasheed and I say Phaedrus and Pirsig are the same "real" person
while Dan and 3WD say Phaedrus is fictional. 3WD even goes so far
as to say that in LILA "all the characters and none of the characters are
Pirsig," creating his own Zen koan.
Now wait a minute, fellas. We've seen over and over again that we can
twist and shape the MOQ to suit our preconceptions. If it's one thing we
can agree on it's that the MOQ is malleable to almost any point of view.
But this disagreement about the identity of Phaedrus doesn't fit the
category of "whatever turns you on."
First, I assume (with some trepidation) that we can all agree that Pirsig
himself is real and that he is the legitimate author of ZMM and LILA.
Second, we have much evidence in LILA that Phaedrus, the author, and
Pirsig are all one and the same real person. In Chapter 6, for instance,
there are numerous references to the "author" of a Quality
metaphysics. Who could the author be but Pirsig?
But, is the author also Phaedrus? Consider these two quotes:
" 'Tell me,' he said, 'do you really and sincerely believe that Lila Blewitt
has Quality?' The author thought for a long time. 'Yes,' he said." (Chp. 6)
" 'Whew, this was some idol,' Phaedrus thought . . . 'You're the winner,
you know,' the idol said. 'You did one moral thing on this whole trip
which saved you.' ' What was that?' 'You told Rigel that Lila had Quality.'
" (Chp. 32)
In the first quote it was the author who said Lila had Quality. In the
second quote it was Phaedrus being praised for saying Lila had
Quality. (Yes, the idol is definitely fictional.)
To belabor the obvious, the "author" is Pirsig. The author says Lila has
Quality. Later, Phaedrus is praised for saying Lila has Quality. Ergo,
Pirsig and Phaedrus are the same person.
I know logic is rarely convincing. So for further evidence I call to the
stand several expert witnesses.
>From the New York Times Book Review of LILA by Richard Restak:
" 'Lila. An Inquiry into Morals' continues the intellectual journey, but in
this novel the philosopher-author who calls himself Phaedrus is at the
helm of a sailboat rather than astride a motorcycle."
>From the Forum-review of LILA by Galen Strawson:
" In LILA as in ZMM, Pirsig is his own hero. He is Phaedrus . . ."
>From the Forum-review by Dan Cryer:
"LILA: An Inquiry into Morals is part clone, part sequel. This
NONFICTION work chronicles in novelistic fashion another of the
author's trips while recyling his ideas on the nature of reality."
(emphasis added)
With all this evidence I think any jury (outside Los Angeles) would
conclude the Pirsig and Phaedrus are but two names for the same
living, breathing individual.
If we can't agree on this, is there anything we can agree on about the
MOQ? Or are we just having fun flapping our gums over a metaphysics
that no one really understands? (Not that I'm knocking the high Quality
of having fun.)
Platt
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