[MD] Intellectual and Social

[Krimel]

[Platt]
Pirsig responds to Krimel's "Sunlight Creation" thesis:"

"If we leave a chemistry professor out on a rock in the sun long enough 
the forces of nature will convert him into simple compounds of carbon, 
oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, and small 
amounts of other minerals. It's a one-way reaction. No matter what kind 
of chemistry professor we use and no matter what process we use we 
can't turn these compounds back into a chemistry professor. Chemistry 
professors are unstable mixtures of predominantly unstable compounds 
which, in the exclusive presence of the sun's heat, decay irreversibly 
into simpler organic and inorganic compounds. That's a scientific fact.
The question is: Then why does nature reverse this process? What on 
earth causes the inorganic compounds to go the other way? It isn't the 
sun's energy. We just saw what the sun's energy did. It has to be 
something else. What is it?" (Lila, 11)

[Krimel]
Out of respect for Pirsig I don't bring quotes like this up and I try to cut
him a little slack and pretend he just didn't know any better. When you
bring up these quotes you just make both Pirsig and yourself look stupid.

[Platt]
Science's best answer: "It's emergence." In other words, "Oops." 

[Krimel]
Asteroids produce "Oops". Sunlight and time produce "Aha". But either way
the answer is profound, beautiful and inspiring if you understand it.