The Metaphysics of Quality Mailing List: Re: MD My doubts

I think that your last sentence may hold the answer to your inquiry, that we as humans, are the only creatures who recognize quality. That would seem to me, to be an acknowledgment of it.

>From: Yaron Dishon

>Reply-To: moq_discuss@moq.org

>To: רשימת תפוצה MoQ

>Subject: MD My doubts

>Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 20:21:35 +0200

>Hello all!

>I read several times both books of Pirsig, and have to admit that especially the first, ZAMM, left me in a deep admire.

>I decided to get down to it more, and for that reason I’ve found myself in this site and forum.

>As I get it, and as Pirsig writes in "Subjects, Objects, Data and Values" (published in MoQ site):

>"Quality is not a thing. It is an event. It is the event at which the subject becomes aware of the object."

>With this definition I believe to agree, but, I don't seem to truly understand what are the reasons led Pirsig expand this idea intonew metaphysics.

>In the same article, Pirsig writes: "Obviously some things are better than others... but what's the 'betterness'?",

>I wonder why the quoted answer by Pirsig himself isn't enough.

>Betterness, or quality, is the event of minds (subjects) come aware with the matter (objects), or in other words, it's the mental judgment of humans to the world around them. This judgment is built on all the patterns Pirsig described as "static patterns of value", of course. Our judgment of quality, or betterness, is based upon our inorganic, biological, social and intellectual patterns. But is there a reason to think that quality exists separately outside the human mind? Does love exist outside the human mind? Does greed?

>Why would quality have existence outside our mind? Does anyone else but humans feel that something is more valued than other? I doubt it, but nevertheless, I think it’s an infertile question. This reminds the question whether animals love each other, or just live together by biological instincts? Or does protons love neutrons?

>We add human verbs to the world outside us, of course to make it more understandable.

>But at the bottom-line, we, humans, are the only kind (known to us) that judge his world, and add the words “good” or “bad” to it. As we are the only kind to love, hate, greed or envy and so on.

>I would be happy to receive your comments.

>Yaron.