>===== Original Message From moq_discuss@moq.org =====
>
Hey,
I had the same feeling at first. I first thought how the Indian John Wooden
Leg saying "That's a good dog" is using good as an adjective not a noun. So
it couldn't be that Indians only used it as a noun. And why would ignorance of
"canine classifications" be so interesting was it just they used value
patterns to classify rather than object pattern? In trying to figure out the
significance of "good is a noun" I found this
PG 466 " For some time now he'd been thinking that if he were looking for
proof that "substance" is a cultural heritage from Ancient Greece rather than
absolute reality he should look at non-Greek derived cultures. If the reality
of substance was missing from those cultures that would prove he was right. "
LaVerne's classification seemed to be Animate- Animal(superordinate)- dog
(basic)-Doberman( subordinate)
but John Wooden Leg's classification seemed to be based on value good- bad
So I think why he concluded with "good is a noun" is that reality = value in
John wooden Leg's classification system shows that "substance" is not absolute
reality and that may be hard to see using Laverne's classifcation system.
Erin
Hey all,
> The final insight offered by Pirsig in LILA is that if you had to boil
>the MoQ down to one sentence, it would be "Good is a noun." Personally, I
>was never a big fan of this reduction. It reads cryptically and is
>virtually unintelligible to one who is not already familiar with LILA, and
>so is of questionable value as a summary or main point of any kind (go
>ahead, try it on your friends, go up to them and say 'good is a noun' and
>see if anyone is instantly stunned by your deep metaphysical acuity).
> Anyway, I was recently digging through Webster's dictionary, and I was
>slightly disappointed to discover that Pirsig's final insight in LILA is
>somewhat less than ground breaking...
>
>I copied this from Webster's II New College Dictionary---
>
>good (adj):
>(1) having desirable or positive qualities
>(2) serving the desired end
>(3)(a) not ruined or spoiled (b) being in excellent condition
>(4)(a) better than average
>(5) of high quality
>(6) handsome
>(7) beneficial
>(8) skilled: competent
>(9) thorough: compete
>(10) safe: sure....
>good (n):
>(1)(a) something that is good (b) a valuable or useful aspect or part
>(2) beneficial: welfare
>(3) virtue: goodness
>
>Yes, that's right. According to the dictionary, the least original and
>least dynamic reference for language in existence... Good is already a noun,
>and always has been. While its primary definition is given as an adjective,
>the secondary definition is quite clearly, a noun. Could it be that the
>editor's of Webster's have had the same deep philosophical and metaphysical
>insights and epiphanies that Phaedrus had??? Could they possibly have
>already figured out the intricacies of the MoQ and thus expanded their
>definition of Good to include the 'MoQ in a sentence'???? Or could it be
>that 'Good is a noun' is really worth zilch a metaphysical, philosophical or
>linguistic insight???? It's anyone's guess. And just so there's no
>confusion....
>
>quality (n):
>(1) essential character [nature]
>(2)(a) An inherent or distinguishing attribute [property], (b) A character
>trait.
>(3)(a) Superiority of kind, (b) Degree or grade of excellence
>(4)(a) High social standing (b) the upper class
>(5) Timbre, as determined by overtones
>(6) The character of a vowel sound determined by size and shape of the oral
>cavity and the amount of resonance with which it is produced
>(7) The positive or negative character of a proposition [logic]
>-(adj) Superior of its kind
>
>
>Good always was a noun,
>Quality too,
>so much for a one line MoQ.
>
>rick
>ps
>the preceding should be seen as a dig only at the last paragraph of LILA,
>and nothing else.
>
>
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