Dear David,
You wrote 16/2 19:29 -0700:
'Its not unreasonable to say that patterns imply repetition, but I think it
is the wrong implication in a MOQ context. Its true that the word "pattern"
has various meanings, but Pirsig's static patterns refer to what is stable.
It seems he's talking about a lasting configuration or design, a consistent
arrangement, a persistent form or
shape.'
Although I'm obiously no specialist at English/American, it seems to me that
'static pattern' refers to more than 'stability'. 'Static (values)' would be
enough to refer to stability.
I even found a Pirsig quote indicating that he may have meant to imply
'repetition' (in a lot of the instances) where he uses 'pattern'.
In ch. 9 of 'Lila' he wrote:
'If the baby ... is normally attentive to Dynamic Quality he will soon begin
to notice differences and then correlations between the differences and then
repetitive patterns of the correlations. But it is not until the baby is
several months old that he will begin to really understand enough about that
enormously complex correlation of sensations and boundaries and desires
called an object to be able to reach for one. This object will not be a
primary experience. It will be a complex pattern of static values derived
from primary experience. ...
In this way static patterns of value become the universe of distinguishable
things. Elementary static distinctions, between such entities as "before"
and "after" and between "like" and "unlike" grow into enormously complex
patterns of knowledge that are transmitted from generation to generation as
the mythos, the culture in which we live.'
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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