Roger, David B. and Group:
Thanks Roger for the invitation to jump back in. Your quotes from
Pirsig led me to this one:
“Sometimes the contrary anti-static drive becomes a static pattern
of its own.”
Could it be that your “dynamic” position has become static?
Like David B. pointed out, you can’t have dynamic without static
any more than you can have many without one or black without
white. Pirsig points out the necessity for static patterns many
times. One of my favorites is from Chap. 17 of Lila where he talks
about Robert’s Rules of Order:
“No minority has a right to block a majority from conducting the
legal business of the organization. No majority has a right to
prevent a minority from peacefully attempting to become a majority.
The power of these two sentences is that they create a stable
static situation where Dynamic Quality can flourish.”
I like the idea expressed here--balance and harmony with a
prejudice towards the dynamically new and fresh. It appeals to my
aesthetic sense. It shows where the demonstrations in Seattle
went wrong.
The main message I take away from your posts is that moral
decisions should be made PROVISIONALLY -- a code of conduct
that science has built into its philosophy which is one of the
reasons for its success. Pirsig calls New York the most dynamic
place in the world because “New York’s never been committed to
any preservation of static patterns. It’s always ready to change.”
“Hold on to what’s good, but be ready to change to something
better.” That concept appeals to me as a “good” moral stance to
take, and your posts have helped to clarify it for me.
Platt
I’m really looking forward to how David B. handles your moral
dilemma hardballs. The ideas you two have batted back and forth in
recent posts have been terrific.
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