[MD] Windmills and Intellectual Pots

[Mati Palm-Leis]

MOQ Folks, 

I have been reading for some time the exchanges in regards to Bo's SOL and
its claim for validity in this forum.  It was my intension to stay out of
this but for whatever reason I feel compelled to briefly jump in. 

I would like to go on record on a number of points. 

First, I still fully support Bo's idea, I went on record and said this in
Liverpool and I will say it again, I think he has got it right.  I realize
that this puts me in a minority, but with the same passion in which Pirsig
in  ZMM and LILA got it right, I still think Bo's has it right.  Does my
support make a difference?  I don't know what other than to say he is not
alone in his beliefs and we are either equally correct or wrong on this
topic.   

Second, I will have to agree with Ian when he wrote, "If you want to argue,
please don't just use claims like that's what Pirsig / ZMM / Lila / Greeks
said."  I fully agree that any claim that Pirsig and his work provide
explicit support of SOL is false, unless there is something I don't know.  I
will also say that Pirsig's body of work in ZMM does seem to lead us down a
path to a potential conclusion which smells a lot like SOL.  I realize this
may not have been Pirsig's intension but I think Bodvar has shown us a
possible interpretation of ZMM that allows seeing SOL as a basis for
intellect. Whether this interpretation provides a correct conclusion about
intellect or not is a bone of contention. 

Third, Pirsig has largely excluded himself from this discussion.  He has
shared on more that one occasion that all this discussion about Intellect as
being pointless.  On this point I feel the need to sincerely differ from
Pirsig's point of view.   Distinctions of values are important and this
includes the intellectual values.   I truly believed that how we are able to
discern intellectual values from other values is vital to advancement of the
MOQ.  Failure to do so will likely set the MOQ back.  I made this point in
Liverpool and believe the future of MOQ in the academic world will demand it
or discredit it on this very issue.  I made some broad recommendations at
the last conference and look forward to Anthony's progress on the next one
and the possible implementation of those recommendations. 
 
Forth, a number of months ago I exchanged a number of emails with Paul
Turner on SOL. Part of my dilemma is that the support for SOL is
non-existent and I wanted to make sure that perhaps I wasn't following some
guy chasing windmills. ;-)  Within a short period of time Paul and I
respectfully got bogged down into the same trenches.  I don't know of too
many days that have pasted in which I haven't thought about how to get past
the impasse.  (I haven't forgot about you Paul, still thinking for now.)
Having read the postings over the past 3 months I have seen similar
impasses.  I don't know if this will help but perhaps the following
questions may shift the discussion some.  

1. Does the S/O divide or SOM qualify as a form of intellect? 

2. If yes, what argument, statement, or line of thinking in ZMM or LILA
allows us to conclude that?

3. Based on the previous argument, statement, or line of thinking how does
this support or exclude other possible forms of intellect?

Just stirring the intellectual pot a little.
Mati