Greetings,
SAM:
"do you think that Pirsig claims that 'the physical world is somehow
unreal'?"
Well, the definition presented does not state that the physical world is
'unreal' in an absolute sense, only in comparison with a more ultimate
reality. Compare this to Chapter 8 of Lila where Pirsig starts of saying
that we see subjects and objects as reality for the same reason we see
the world right side up. Pirsig then suggests taking off our
intellectual glasses in order to see Quality, rather than subjects and
objects, as Ultimate Reality. In the same chapter, he states that there
are many sets of intellectual realities but some have more quality than
others do. If some have more quality than others do and quality =
reality, then it follows that some have more reality than others do.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude that Pirsig thinks that 'the
physical world is somehow unreal compared with some more ultimate, not
necessarily mental, reality conceived as the source of value'. It is
not, however, reasonable to conclude that he sees the physical world as
unreal 'per se'. Clearly he wants (as he wrongly sees it) to expand
reality, not remove some aspects of it, but there is equally no doubt
that he sees 'Quality as the primary reality of the world' and therefore
subjects and objects as, at least, secondary realities. (Last paragraph
of Chapter 7 - Again check the exact words for yourselves, I do not have
the book in front of me).
Therefore, Pirsig fits very well into the Idealist camp in its broadest
sense.
Struan
P.S. Squonk. This really is becoming tiresome. Yes, I agree, value is
prior to conceptualising. When did I say it was not? Equally tiresome is
that you continue to ask me to define quality when I gave a full
response to that question on this forum on 12/12/2001 and in a different
way only yesterday. Your retort was that my working list (which I
clearly stated was not a working list) would begin with quality and that
my definition was derived from quality. Well spotted. That is the whole
point of a definition. Your final typical moqer resorts to questioning
my education and throwing the mythical SOM at me are worthless.
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