From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Fri Sep 09 2005 - 00:16:49 BST
Peter:
> Platt, I don't agree. You said:
>
> He (Pirsig) says we know (experience) low quality before we know
> (understand) anything else.
>
> Where does he say that? You are paraphrasing him and putting your own
spin.
"Remember that the central reality of the MOQ is not an object or a
subject or anything else. It is understood by direct experience only and
not by reasoning of any kind." (LC, Note 132)
> You then quote Pirsig:
>
> "But that the quality is low is absolutely certain." (Lila, 5)
>
> I think this sentence is a bit loose. To have a feeling of certainty
> requires time for reflection.
Not according to Pirsig, and I agree with him.
> An event has taken place; let's say you touch
> a hot stove unintentionally - your skin is damaged even before your brain
> succeeds in making you react. The damaged skin is the the site of the
> 'primary empirical reality', knowing, even if you equate it to perception,
> occurs in the brain.
Whether it occurs in the damaged skin or the brain is beside the point.
The low quality experience occurs prior to any thought about brain or skin
or anything else.
> It is the primary empirical reality from which such things as stoves and
> heat and oaths and self are later intellectually constructed." (Lila, 5)
>
> I think this bears out clearly that knowing occurs after the event.
Not if you use knowing, as I explained, as a synonym for perception.
> And as for:
>
> Great Art is ...... transparency to the Divine through beauty.
>
> Why the capitol 'D' ? Is this a new god ?
Why not? Quality is capitalized. Is that a new god? The Divine to me
represents that which we experience but cannot speak. I could just as well
have said " . . transparency to Quality through beauty."
Platt
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