From: Case (Case@iSpots.com)
Date: Fri Sep 02 2005 - 01:27:24 BST
[Case scratches his head]
Hold the phone a second. When I first read ZMM many many moons ago, it was
clear to me that Pirsig was talking about Quality as the Tao: the Way of
harmony and balance. It can be described in exactly the same way that Jello
can be nailed to a wall. With Lila I thought he was describing the active
and passive qualities of nature. The absolute essence IMO of dynamic quality
is; DQ=Chaos=Yang: that vast expanse of potential out of which, with
infinate improbability, the possible coaleses to form SQ=Order=Yin.
[Reinier replied]
I think DQ is unity, which rules out chaos. SQ might well be order, but
also chaos is SQ. As for the labels Yin and Yang... well they've been used
in so many ways, Im not sure can relate them to DQ and SQ.
[Case responds]
I believe you are confusing Dynamic Quality with Quality itself.
Pirsig had this to say in ZMM:
"The Vedanta of the Hindus, the Way of the Taoists, even the Buddha had been
described as an absolute monism similar to Hegel's philosophy. Phædrus
doubted at the time, however, whether mystical Ones and metaphysical monisms
were introconvertable since mystical Ones follow no rules and metaphysical
monisms do. His Quality was a metaphysical entity, not a mystic one. Or was
it? What was the difference?
He answered himself that the difference was one of definition. Metaphysical
entities are defined. Mystical Ones are not. That made Quality mystical. No.
It was really both. Although he'd thought of it purely in philosophical
terms up to now as metaphysical, he had all along refused to define it. That
made it mystic too. Its indefinability freed it from the rules of
metaphysics.
Then, on impulse, Phædrus went over to his bookshelf and picked out a small,
blue, cardboard-bound book. He'd hand-copied this book and bound it himself
years before, when he couldn't find a copy for sale anywhere. It was the
2,400-year-old Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. He began to read through the lines
he had read many times before, but this time he studied it to see if a
certain substitution would work. He began to read and interpret it at the
same time.
He read:
The quality that can be defined is not the Absolute Quality.
That was what he had said.
The names that can be given it are not Absolute names.
It is the origin of heaven and earth.
When named it is the mother of all things -- .
Exactly."
Also, in notes at the end of Anthony McWatts's thesis there is this:
Is Quality more similar too:
a. Whitehead's Process Philosophy,
b. the Tao, or;
c.Plotinus' One?
Pirsig: The tao
It is true that Pirsig does not specifically refer to Yin and Yang. But the
very names he gives to the two aspects of quality suggest he has something
similar in mind.
From: www.dictionary.com I got this:
Dynamic:
1.. .
1.. Of or relating to energy or to objects in motion.
2.. Of or relating to the study of dynamics.
2.. Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress: a dynamic
market.
3.. Marked by intensity and vigor; forceful. See Synonyms at active.
4.. Of or relating to variation of intensity, as in musical sound.
Static:
1.
1.. Having no motion; being at rest; quiescent.
2.. Fixed; stationary.
1.. Physics. Of or relating to bodies at rest or forces that balance each
other.
2.. Electricity. Of, relating to, or producing stationary charges;
electrostatic.
3.. Of, relating to, or produced by random radio noise.
[Case said]
You aren't the only offender here but I just have to point out that while SQ
may be boring DQ can ruin your whole week. Just ask anyone in New Orleans if
DQ has value or if SQ would result from assigning a value to it.
[Reinier replied]
I can't follow you here. Please elaborate...
Sure. The earth is at one level of SQ. The atmosphere above it is at a
relatively more dynamic level. When the atmosphere becomes dynamic enough
to disrupt the static patterns on the ground, folks on the ground find this
increase in atmospheric DQ negative. People in New Orleans at this time
especially so.
Reinier said:]
There is no interaction between dynamic and static there's only valueing.
[Case breaks out the Head Shoulders]
Huh? So the ultimate authority on life, the universe and everything is my
insurance agent?
[Reinier replied]
No, it's your ego
[Case laughs]
I have been married so long it is refreshing to hear that someone thinks I
have any ego left.
Case
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archives:
Aug '98 - Oct '02 - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Nov '02 Onward - http://www.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/summary.html
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Sep 02 2005 - 01:48:19 BST