Hi 3WDave (the real one, I suppose)
Just to say I've enjoyed a lot your post. As always, your investigations on
James are of great value. And yes, I think your interpretation of James'
relationship to the MOQ are well appropriate.
I've just seen -still not read with care- a new essay on the home page of
moq.org that is about comparing ZAMM's Pirsig with other philosophers, James
between them, of course. In the afterword, written after Lila, we can read:
«Since I wrote the above essay in 1989, Pirsig has published another book.
Lila: An Enquiry into Morals (London: Bantam. 1991). My impression (after a
single. careful reading) is that the book forms a sort of extended and
elaborated commentary on ZAAMM. However, it differs significantly in
explicitly pursuing a 'Metaphysics of Quality", and therefore advocating a
different philosophy from that of ZAAMM: no longer Pragmatism but something
else.
I sent a typescript of my essay to Robert Pirsig shortly after it was
completed, and he was kind enough to reply and make some comments (letter
dated 18 August 1989). My explanation as to why the book was written as a
novel, he described as 'exactly right', as was my point that the
philosophical argument in ZAAMM 'continues the philosophy of William James'.
Nevertheless, for reasons explained in Lila, Pirsig has now come to believe
that Pragmatism is incomplete, and that the Metaphysics of Quality is its
completion...».
I'd value your comment on the essay, and especially on this sentence.
thanks,
Marco
----- Original Message -----
From: "3dwavedave" <dlt44@ipa.net>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: MD Emotions and the MoQ
> Bo, Erin, Marco, Platt, & many others
>
> I've noticed that this thread and the "Is society making progress"
> thread seem to be exploring some similar issues dealing with roles of
> the social vs biological levels.
>
> I'm rereading an excerpt from William James "The Principles of
> Psychology" tited "Habit" and ran across some passages that you all may
> find of interest. I have appended to them my interpretation of their
> relationship to the MoQ.
>
> " The moment one tries to define what a habit [pattern of value or
> static quality] is, one is lead to the fundamental properties of
> matter[inorganic level]. The laws of Nature are nothing but the
> immutable habits [inorganic static qualities] which different elementary
> sorts of matter follow in their actions and reactions upon each
> other.[remember this pre-dates quantum mechanics but if 'immutable' is
> struck it's up to date.] In the organic world [biological
> level],however, the habits are more variable [have a higher degree of
> freedom] than this. Even instincts vary from one individual to another
> of a kind; and are modified in the same individual.. to suit the
> exigencies of the case."
>
> "Habit [patterns of value] is thus the enormous fly-wheel of society,
> [of the social level] its most precious conservative agent. It alone is
> what keeps us all within the bounds of ordinance, and saves the children
> of fortune from the envious uprisings of the poor."
>
> What, according to James, is the fundamental nature of habits? Or static
qualities?
> Plasticity. Which is quality by which stable patterns can dynamically
> unlatch and relatch at higher values.
>
> " When a structure has yielded, the same inertia becomes a condition of
> its compartive permanence in the new form, of the new habits [patterns
> of value] the body then manifests. 'Plasticity', then, in the wide sense
> of the word, means the possession of a structure weak enough [dynamic
> enough] to yield to an influence [an experience] but strong enough
> [stable or static enough] not to yield all at once. [thus failing,
> unlatching, and falling in value] Each relatively stable phase of
> equilibrium [dynamic +static] in such a structure is marked by what we
> may call a new set of habits. [new stable patterns of value]"
>
> 3WD
>
>
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