Hey Glenn and all,
Great stuff Glenn. I have a couple of thoughts on it I'd like to run by
you...
PIRSIG
> Our scientific description of nature is always culturally
> derived. Nature tells us only what our culture predisposes
> us to hear. The *selection* of which inorganic patterns to
> observe and which to ignore is made on the basis of social
> patterns of value, or when it is not, on the basis of
> biological patterns of value.' (p 343, paperback)
>
GLENN
> I was torn about how to interpret the word "observe".
> Does by "observe" he mean "study" or does he mean it
> literally, as if we are as good as blind without the social
> patterns lighting the way.
RICK
I suggest Pirsig is using 'observe' as something closer to "study."
The italics in the quote fall upon the very deliberate sounding
"selection." He is emphasizing that this is an active process of
'selection'. To further make this point, Pirsig juxtaposes "observe" with a
deliberate sounding "ignore" rather than a more passive opposite (ie. 'not
observe').
If he meant that we were 'blind' to those patterns without social
mediation I suspect he would have written something more like: "Which
inorganic patterns are observed and which are unobserved is decided by
social patterns of value."
Clearing up one more thing might help....
GLENN (from earlier)
Suppose a physicist selects for study the decay rate of plutonium, and she's
funded by the government to build nuclear power plants. Clearly this is a
selection made on the basis of a social pattern and Pirsig is correct about
this.
RICK
Agreed...This selection is clearly made on the basis of a social pattern.
GLENN
Suppose another physicist selects for study the radiation emitted from
quasars. Obviously a social pattern is not the basis for this selection
because there is no social gain to knowing anything about quasars, and let's
suppose he is funded to study anything he wants.
RICK
Ah... But a social pattern IS the basis for this selection, namely... the
PHYSICIST! It is social patterns that make him a 'physicist' in the first
place. Remember Glenn, the MOQ's 'social level' is not restricted to
'government'. In an MOQ sense, the identity of that physicist is no less
social a pattern than the government in the first example. The physicist is
funded to study anything HE wants. And the "he" in "he wants" is a social
pattern of value.
Thus, either 'study' is socially mediated.
Hope that helps,
rick
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