[MD] French ingredient in the soup of sentiments

[Platt Holden]

Craig:

Thanks for sharing your favorite quotes from Pirsig about the supremacy 
of the individual. Those of a socialist frame of mind emanating from 
19th century Marxism consider society to be supreme with individuals 
subservient to it. It is refreshing to have Pirsig reaffirm the 
sovereignty of the individual and cautioning against utopian government 
programs such as universal health care which invariably lower quality. 
In fact, I have argued that Pirsig's Intellectual Level might be better 
named the Individual Level, not only because individuals, not groups, 
think, but because individuals responding to DQ are the sole 
contributors to the evolution of life. (Refer to the story of the brujo 
in Lila).  

Thanks again.

Regards, 
Platt


> Platt,
> My favorite quotes from RMP relevent to society/individuals:
> 
> "I think that if we are going to reform the world, and make it a 
better
> place to live in, the way to do it is not with talk about 
relationships
> of a political nature, which are inevitably dualistic, full of 
subjects
> and objects and their relationship to one another; or with programs 
full
> of things for other people to do. I think that kind of approach 
starts
> at the end and presumes the end is the beginning. Programs of a
> political nature are important end products of social quality that 
can
> be effective only if the underlying structure of social values is 
right.
> The social values are right only if the individual values are right. 
The
> place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and
> hands, and then work outward from there. Other people can talk about 
how
> to expand the des­tiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to 
fix
> a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting 
value."
> (ZMM, pbk, p. 267)
> 
> "My personal feeling is that this is how any further I improvement of
> the world will be done: by individuals making Quality decisions and
> that’s all. God, I don’t want to have any more enthusiasm for big
> programs full of so­cial planning for big masses of people that leave
> individu­al Quality out. These can be left alone for a while. There’s 
a
> place for them but they’ve got to be built on a founda­tion of 
Quality
> within the individuals involved. We’ve had that individual Quality in
> the past, exploited it as a natural resource without knowing it, and 
now
> it’s just about de­pleted. Everyone’s just about out of gumption. And 
> think it’s about time to return to the rebuilding of this American
> resource—individual worth." (ZMM, pbk, p. 323)
> 
> Craig