[MD] grmbl

[Andre Broersen]

Marsha to Andre:

Maybe you can help me understand your position.  Does
any of the 'SKILLFUL manipulation of symbols' exclude
rational analysis?

Andre:
Okay Marsha, I'll oblige.

Mr. Pirsig 'defined' the intellectual level as the skillful manipulation of symbols. Of course this does not exclude rational analysis. Mr. Pirsig sets logic, higher mathematics etc as very high quality intellectual patterns of value...but he also includes philosophy, rhetoric, dialectics as different skillful means of, first of all pointing to (could be different areas) and from there applying 'the knife'.

Remember the rotissary story in ZMM? Remember the gallery and picture analogy in LILA?

Bodvar's SOL/SOM applies the ax...and Mr. Pirsig has argued that this ax is quite blunt and needs re- sharpening and expanding...at the very roots. The whole of ZMM is about this.

 From a MOQ perspective the 'reduction' of the intellectual level to just one single possible application of the knife defies not only logic(!) but also everyday experience...because one cannot separate the one from the other. The MOQ is at pains to show us this. That is it's Art.

That is all.