Deat Platt:
Many philosophers and politicians will use many terms to label "social
quality." One of these is collective responsibility. In Lila, one may
search in vain to find many moral labels. But if we examine the concepts,
not much remains absent on an axiological level.
I. Moral Duty
Pirsig implicity invokes the concept of moral duty. He wrestles with
himself on the morality of several subjects - copulating with Lila, leaving
Lila with Rigel, selling movie rights, etc. In these situations, Pirsig
questioned his moral duty to Quality. Indeed, he states:
-"Not just life, but everything, is an ethical activity." - (p181)
-"In general, given a choice of two courses to follow and all other things
being equal, that choice which is more Dynamic, that is, at a higher level
of evolution, is more moral." - (p183)
-On pages 187-9, Pirsig speaks of our "moral codes." Intellectual morality
trumphs social morality, social morality trumphs biological morality, and
so on.
-"Quality is morality. Make no mistake about it. They're identical. And if
Quality is the primary reality of the world then that means morality is
also the primary reality of the world. The world is primarily a moral
order. But it's a moral order that neither Rigel nor the posing Victorians
had ever, in their wildest dreams, though about or heard about." - (p111)
II. Collective Responsibility
The mention of Victorians moves us to the concepts of "social quality" and
collective responsibility. Pirsig's stance is both profound and clear: its
the moral responsibility of society to cage our destructive biological
impulses such as aggression and ignorance. But its also society's moral
responsibility to not attempt to cage intellectual thoughts. We have a
collective responsibility to stop crime and also a collective
responsibility to advocate the First Amendment. These are not the words of
an existentialist loner. Indeed he indicts the 60s generation for accepting
criminal activity and for rejecting social control. (Page 348-9,51.) To
Pirsig, this is immoral because social quality ought to contain biological
quality. It is indeed our collective responsibility. Pirsig identifies the
failure to do so as the root problem of the 20th century. We must, Pirisig
writes emphatically, "destroy destructive biological patterns with complete
moral ruthlessness, the way a doctor destroys germs, before these
biological patterns destroy civilization itself." - (p358)
If that isn't a collective call to responsibility, I have never heard one.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sanchez
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