[MD] St. Bodvar's perplexion

[Mary]

Pirsig said in "The MoQ and Art":

"If you look at cultures outside of America, or if you look at cultures
before Plato, you find there wasn't much reason in them.  They settled
disputes by revenge rather than by law and so on."

This is latter day Pirsig.  He could have stopped the taping and fixed this.
What are we to make of it?

Mary

On Behalf Of Andre Broersen
> 
> Bodvar to Horse, Andre and Arlo:
> 
> I asked Krimel to explain the connection here, but he suddenly and
> quite unexpectedly fell silent so now I ask you gentlemen to explain
> what anti-moqishness there is in my statement? Particularly because it
> is expressed by Pirsig in LILA. No need to be shy guys.
> 
> Andre:
> I will not speak for the other gentlemen Bodvar but I was signature to
> the remark. You deserve an explanation so let me be the one for you to
> retort to and aim at, just so you think about what you aim at and
> where!
> 
> You, making yourself the mouth piece of (your) intellect; when talking
> about cultures that have not yet 'reached' the intellectual level (as
> you put it) the tone you adopt is condescending, dismissive, prejudiced
> and biased in favour of those cultures 'that have' ( according to your
> reasoning).
> 
> Have you ever considered that those 'socially dominated cultures' do
> have intellectuals that do NOT represent the Bin Ladens of this world
> and are struggling and suffering because of this ( witness the last
> elections in Teheran [for example] with mass public demonstrations
> against this regime that enforces social value domination at the cost
> of intellectual discourse. Many have been killed and gawd knows how
> many imprisoned.)
> 
> Pol Pot wiped out millions of intellectuals...literally. Are you going
> to condemn Cambodia in its current struggle towards national recovery?
> ( I have been asked to help in this process by the way and am
> considering).
> 
> Bodvar, you generalize. The MOQ is a beginning view and a beginning
> understanding. Mr. Pirsig realizes this and, on many points, is very
> subtle.
> 
> Secondly, you seem to condemn (by analogy) every culture not dominated
> by intellectual patterns of value. Within this context I want to
> suggest that you have lost sight of Quality.
> 
> There are many ways of 'reaching', experiencing Quality. You appear to
> suggest there is only one way: through the realization of your SOL.
> 
> This is what I find so narrow-minded about your postulation and pet
> hobby.
> 
> You seem to see the 'attainment' of this level as some sort of
> 'completion', some sort of 'springboard' without which one cannot
> 'move' towards 'higher' goods.
> 
> (Undoubtedly you are aware of what is happening within those
> 'intellectually guided' cultures at present...it is a complete
> disaster... and look who is really going to set the parameters for the
> forseeable future![doesn't mean I like it, I only saw exchange rates
> today]).
> 
> Are you going to deny experience of Quality to a New Yorker because he
> doesn't know how to throw a boomerang, or deny the Quality experienced
> by an Australian Aborigine because he doesn't know ( he certainly
> doesn't like!) how to use an elevator?
> 
> Sorry to use this analogy but it seems an apt one: you are like the
> christian who says that I cannot reach heaven because I do not believe
> in Jesus Christ.
> 
> You, by implication are saying that I cannot attain Quality because I
> do not believe in your SOL.
> 
> I'll even go one further and say that you seem to imply that Quality
> could not be experienced before Mr. Pirsig published LILA! The whole of
> mankind prior to 1991 had never had a Quality experience, because they
> were unaware of your SOL.
> 
> Can you see the falacy of this type of reasoning?
> 
> We are talking Quality here Bodvar. We are talking about the MOQ as a
> finger pointing towards... for Westerners as a guide, a framework from
> which to find your path...should one find it useful. We are not talking
> about Quality itself.
> 
> Anyway, this is my take on your response to my response. The others can
> speak for themselves.
> 
> 
> 
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