ROGER ACCEPTS PIRSIG'S CHALLENGE TO EXTEND/IMPROVE THE MOQ
Pirsig wrote:
"The material for the MOQ
is not something I invented out of thin air. It has been lying dormant within
the culture for
centuries. I have mined probably less than one per cent of what is there. The
best readers
will pay minimal attention to what I have found and maximal attention to what
I have
missed.That's where the excitement is. "
Please follow me on a journey into the exciting 99% of the MOQ which has not
yet been discovered. Today, I will take us away from the familiar shoreline
and into some uncharted waters. All I am asking is that you keep an open
mind, and that you seriously give some of these concepts a chance.
My current journey started from a mixture of two threads, Platt's post on MOQ
Principles that focused on AWARENESS, and the following exchange between Rich
and Greg:
(Rich) "....I don't think dynamic quality is the goal".
(Greg) "Possibly forms of quality that are more dynamic, but can anything
truly be dynamic?"
Thinking about this, I started reflecting on the two distinct ways RMP uses
the term DQ. The first method is roughly defined as direct experience
(Platt's 'awareness'). DQ is the cutting edge of experience prior to the
creation of patterns. The second type is the evolutionary direction toward
greater freedom and away from static patterns. RMP also refers to the Quality
Event, which is where DQ can turn into sq , and which creates subjects and
objects. Isn't this just a broader version of direct experience (broader in
that it can apply beyond biological experience/awareness)? He does try to
synthesize the terms by mentioning that DQ is a "stream of QE's". To furter
complicate, he refers to DQ as the "unmeasured phenomenal object" in SODV.
The problem then is with Pirsig using two terms (DQ and QE) for one concept,
and in using one term (DQ) for three concepts (experience, freedom and
unmeasured objects). Rather than sort this out, I tried to start from scratch
using Pirsig's metaphysics to explain reality with enhanced clarity. Below is
my summary:
1) Experience is Quality
2) Quality/experience is all
3) Experience creates patterns (InorgPOV's). These are patterns of
experience.
4) Experience causes the patterns to become more complex (BPOV's)
5) Pattern complexity leads to higher quality experience (biological
experience)
6) Higher quality experience leads to even more complex patterns (S and I
POV's)
7) This leads to higher quality experience.....(social and intellectual
experience)
8) Pattern complexity is defined as a pattern which is more dynamic, which has
more freedom, more options, more potential. (It does not necessarily mean more
complicated)
9) Pattern complexity is quality
The terms differ, but most of the concepts remain. However, subtle differences
emerge in how reality is explained. Let me walk us through these differences
and similarities point by point.
The first three points are consistent with the MOQ, however I have dropped the
terms sq and DQ . You can re-insert them if you choose. The cost is in
clarity. "Experience creates Patterns" is the same as the quality event
creating sq.
Steps 3 through 7 are just another way of explaining how the levels emerge.
Another benefit of this terminology is that I have eliminated the "forces of
value" term which Pirsig coins to try to explain the driving "moral codes" of
the levels. He implies a connection of these moral codes/value forces to DQ,
but these terms seem sloppy and "tacked on" to the MOQ. These terms are
avoided in the new model.
The "evolving DQ" of RMP is clarified as a characteristic of a pattern, not of
experience, but the experience is richer, and of higher quality. A side
benefit of this methodology is that it doesn't run into the problems with
differentiating DQ from pure chaos. Freedom, which Pirsig attaches incorrectly
to experience, is also clarified. Freedom is not a property of experience, it
is a property of a pattern of experiences. Freedom is not a direct experience,
it is the freedom of experience. Patterns are evolving toward higher
complexity and higher degrees of freedom. Experience is evolving toward
richer, higher value. Everything is evolving to higher quality.
The benefits of this revised model are clarity, simplicity and the elimination
of some minor MOQ platypi.
Please seriously consider RMP's request to extend the MOQ. Let's free
ourselves from static patterns and explore higher quality patterns. I am
challenging us all to evaluate what is good within this revised model. After
we examine it, we can easily begin tearing it apart. At the worst, the
exercise will help us better understand the strengths of the current model.
Roger
Experience is quality.
There are patterns of experience.
Good is a noun.
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