[MD] What's missing

[Kevin Perez]

Hello Case.
 
You quoted Pirsig.
 
    [...] if one studies the early books of the 
    Bible or if one studies the sayings of primitive tribes 
    today, the intellectual level is conspicuously absent. The 
    world is ruled by Gods who follow social and biological 
    patterns and nothing else.
 
If I had to guess I'd say Pirsig's view of intellectualism is intimately tied
to his notions of individualism.  No.  It's more than that.  They're one and
the same.  What Pirsig means by the intellectual level is some sort of
wholeness in an individual's connection to Quality.  Problem is, on that
level there's nothing that can be said about it because on that level there
is only the individual and Quality.  The "conversation" moves to the
social level the momemt someone else joins it, a la MoQ.  So one's
individual connection to Quality is meaningless and purposeless to
anyone else outside of one's connection with family, friends and
community.
 
I'd say what's missing is what's missing in Pirsig's understanding of the
two-way interactions between individuals and their society.  What's
missing is a clearer understanding of how Quality affects individuals and
how Quality and individuals affect other individuals and social structures.
 
Intellectualism is a red herring because intellectual concepts, in
themselves, do not have the power to affect anything.  Thinking that they
do is pure SOM, imo.
 

Kevin

 
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