[MD] What does Pirsig mean by metaphysics?

[David Thomas]

Bo,
> BTW. What do you make of the diagram in ZAMM (page 243 in my
> copy) where the subject/object reality  (Classic) is also called
> "intellectual"?  Doesn't this indicate that Phaedrus original insight was
> the SOL one? An note that no one - absolutely no one - applies the
> MOQ to anything at all (except me) for the plain reason that it is only
> the SOL interpretation that gives it its mighty explanatory power.
> Without it ....it's nil and void.
After my initial response to this post I was staring at the two ZaMM
diagrams and I think I had an Eureka moment. Stop don't read on go get your
copy and then follow along with me step by step. Ok focusing on the
classic/romantic diagram.
1 Cross off the the Romantic Quality Branch. Gone
2  Now we have Quality straight into Classic Quality (intellectual reality)
branching into subjective and objective reality.
3 Directly below and a small distance away from the subjective/objective
boxes draw a single rectangle aligning to the width of both boxes.
4 Draw a short vertical line from each of subject and object boxes to the
rectangle you just finished.
5 Do this same procedure drawing two more wide rectangles below the first
you drew and connect them with sets of short line in between them.
6. Starting with the first box you drew and going downward label the boxes
social, biological, and physical levels.
7. Draw a rectangle enclosing the classic-subjective-objective boxes inside
it. Label it intellectual level.
7 Starting on the line half way in between between the Quality (Reality) box
and the Classic Quality box start a horizonal line to the right and draw a
large rectangle down and around all the boxes ending up at the point you
started.
8. Label the last large rectangle DQ dynamic quality.

We have converted the ZaMM diagram into something that looks very similar to
the SODV diagram but fatal flaws that I think are readily apparent. If we
take the POV of standing just above the intellectual level and view down all
is still view through subjective and objective lens. More importantly if we
try to fit the MoQ into the scheme somewhere we cannot find a place it will
fit. It cannot go into any of the levels because even though they may be
converted to qualities they are all subject and object qualites. Can't be
permanently in DQ or outside the structure we can't access it. So what RMP
did was expand the "concept of thought" of the intellectual level saying
other catagories other that subject and object can reside there.

Dave