From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Nov 12 2002 - 16:44:47 GMT
Hi Wim, Matt, All:
In addressing Matt's denial of metaphysics, Wim wrote:
> Pirsig defines metaphysics in chapter 5 of 'Lila':
> 'Metaphysics is what Aristotle called the First Philosophy. It's a
> collection of the most general statements of a hierarchical structure of
> thought. On one of his slips he had copied a definition of it as "that part
> of philosophy which deals with the nature and structure of reality." It
> asks such questions as, "Are the objects we perceive real or illusory? Does
> the external world exist apart from our consciousness of it? Is reality
> ultimately reducible to a single underlying substance? If so, is it
> essentially spiritual or material? Is the universe intelligible and orderly
> or incomprehensible and chaotic?"'
>
> This definition does not imply an appearance-reality distinction according
> to me. The questions Pirsig mentions can be answered with: 'our perceptions
> are real', 'our consciousness and the "external world" cannot be
> distinguished', 'reality can be abstracted to Quality, but this is not
> "single" (it is split in DQ and sq at least), it doesn't "underlie" but
> "is" perception and it is not "substance"' and (because of the
> indistinguishability of consciousness and reality) 'the universe is as
> intelligible and orderly as we are intelligent and ordering'.
>
> Using the word 'metaphysics' doesn't imply that one believes there is an
> 'ultimate reality' (apart from direct experience). It only implies a
> question whether there is.
I agree with Wim. But, one sentence in Pirsig's description of
metaphysics seems to have been glossed over: "If so, is it (underlying
substance) spiritual or material?" (Parens added)
If memory serves me correctly, the issue of "spirit" has never been
discussed here. Yet, "spirit" is not only at the center of Christian
theology but also New Age credos. Pirsig's writings, however, barely
mention spirit other than a few references to the "Great Spirit" of
American Indian folklore.
Somehow Dynamic Quality doesn't strike me as being especially
spiritual. I don't see it as a synonym for what many regard as a spiritual
essence, particularly that part of spirit which is thought to be the
essence of each human being and that, for Christians at least, survives
death.
In musing on the death of his son, Pirsig asked, "Where did Chris go?"
He concluded that somehow his son's "larger pattern" survived and was
reincarnated in the birth of his daughter, Nell. He ends by saying, "What
is seen now so much more clearly is that although the names keep
changing and the bodies keep changing, the larger pattern that holds us
all together goes on and on."
Is Pirsig merely talking about DNA? A materialist would probably come
to that conclusion. Or is he talking about spirit in the religious sense, a
spirit within each one of us that never dies and may, in fact, carry on our
personal histories beyond death?
The fundamental appeal of most religions is precisely the promise of life
after death. Just as the first living cell was motivated to free life from
obliteration, so each person desperately wants to escape the finality of
his own death. "Do as I say and you will have life everlasting" promises
the preacher. No wonder his influence on mankind has been and
continues to so much more profound than that of the philosopher.
I've always felt that a metaphysics that doesn't conclude with (or even
hint at) a similar promise will never capture the imagination of the world.
You can say all you want about Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Rorty and
Pirsig, but unless and until philosophy gives some assurances that this
is not all there is, it will continue to be relegated to the backwaters of
significance.
For me, the "harmony" or "beauty" aspect of life that Pirsig touches on
holds promise for such a philosophy that builds on but goes beyond the
MoQ, a "beyond" that Pirsig hints at in Chap. 30:
"Suddenly the foliage by the road opened up and there it was: the ocean.
"He stopped for a second by the beach and just stared at the endless
procession of waves moving slowly in from the horizon.
"The south wind was stronger here and it cooled him. It was steady, like
a trade wind. Nothing interfered with its flow toward him over the huge
ocean. "Vast emptiness and nothing sacred." If ever there was a visible
concrete metaphor for Dynamic Quality this was it."
When living this scene, I'm guessing that Pirsig felt something spiritual
though he denies witnessing anything sacred, afraid I presume of being
lumped in with the likes of Christian Bible thumpers and Muslim
bombers. (Thumping is better than bombing, but I digress.)
Don't get me wrong. Kicking around philosophical ideas is great sport.
I've been interested such ideas nearly all my life. Since people
invariably reflect philosophical viewpoints, I've learned a lot about why
individuals think and behave they way they do. But aside from that, the
nagging question in the back of my mind has always been, "How
important is it?"
Maybe having fun is enough. But that spiritual business Pirsig refers to
in describing metaphysics still haunts me as an unresolved issue.
Platt
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