Struan,
You wrote:
"A more pertinent question would be to analyse what it is about those who
follow the moq that makes them need to develop their metaphysics almost
entirely in oppositional terms and against an imaginary enemy (SOM)."
I think the "MoQ v. SOM" attitude that you point you here is byproduct
of the "literary" nature of ZMM and LILA. Every good piece of literature
needs an antagonist of somekind, be it man, nature, society,
circumstance.... And more importantly, every good hero needs to confront
the particular antagonist that he's ready for (Jason got a minotaur, Luke
got Darth, Alice got the Queen of Hearts). Pirsig's hero is a philosopher,
or more precisely, a metaphysics, the MoQ. Therefore, from a literary
standpoint, the only appropriate "bad guy" that fits, is another
metaphysics, thus the need for SOM.
SOM arises as an amorphous conglomorate of philosophical tidbits to
which Pirsig seeks to respond; it's a wall built by the author for the very
purpose of being breached... a plot device, if you will. The upside is that
it lets Pirsig respond to a number of philosophers and their ideas without
having to weigh his novel down with the details of each. Too much of that
'classical' intellectual style would be poisonous to the 'romantic' appeal
of a novel. Successfully balancing these values is a fine line (ZMM was a
rare success... Can anyone name a such an intellectually rigorous novel that
also faired so well in the marketplace?). And in balancing these needs for
a novel, sarafices must be made. In Pirsig's case, the sacrafice is one of
detail. If he took the time to fully educate the reader about every theory
or philosopher to which he sought to respond, the novel would have to be as
long as an encyclopedia.
The downside is the very effect to which you point to now. By defining
his hero (MoQ) in relation to the villian (SOM), Pirsig has inexcorably
linked the two. Very few have a philosophical background broad enough to
have first hand expereince with every idea covered in ZMM and LILA and so a
contrast with SOM has become the rhetorical fallback for missing detail.
I don't think you'd be wrong in pointing to this as an intellectual
shortcoming of the books, but like I said... they were novels, and so there
were values at work other than intellectual ones. Take them for what
they're worth.
rick
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