[MD] What "moral revolution" is called for by the MOQ?

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting ARLO J BENSINGER JR <ajb102 at psu.edu>:

> [Platt]
> That Arlo likes amateur performers. 
> 
> [Arlo]
> Yes. Arlo is not an elitist. I'm actually a bit surprised by this comment,
> Platt, what with you being an "amateur artist" and all. One of the street
> performers in Tuebingen that sticks in my mind was a violinist, who was really
> Good. In the same vein, I enjoy seeing artists display their works. The "Arts
> Festival" in State College is one of my favorite times of year. Good food. Good
> music. Lively talk. Art. 

If by elitist you mean someone who discriminates between good and bad art, then
I proudly accept the label. I certainly do not consider my amateur art to be
as good as that of Tom Benton or Andrew Wyeth. In fact, compared to them I'm
awful.

> "Phaedrus thought that this Hippie revolution could have been almost as much an
> advance over the intellectual twenties as the twenties had been over the social
> 1890s..."
> 
> "The revolutionaries of the sixties thought that since both are anti-social, and
> since both are anti-intellectual, why then they must both be the same. That was
> the mistake."
> 
> That sums it up nicely.
> 
> So I'd say the "moral revolution" is just what Pirsig says, away from society
> AND intellectuality and TOWARDS Dynamic Quality.
> 
> And if "art" is towards DQ, then a few lutes and drums are a good thing. But
> don't worry, an orchestra playing "highbrow" music would also be permitted to
> tag along. :-)

I notice you ignored the quote that described the role of social quality in
keeping biological pleasures in their proper place. Worth repeating:

"Today we are living in an intellectual and technological paradise and a moral and
social nightmare because the intellectual level of evolution, in its struggle to
become free of the social level, has ignored the social level's role in keeping the
biological level under control. Intellectuals have failed to understand the ocean of
biological quality that is constantly being suppressed by social order."

A return to the Victorian value of self-responsibility might not be such a bad
thing. You can't get all Dynamic artsy without a solid social and intellectual
foundation. Also noticed you thought an individual street violinist was "really
good" which supports my individual level from which great art "emerges." :-) 

But the question still remains, what would Pirsig's moral revolution look like?
Street fairs have been around since medieval times. Surely, as you said, his 
revolution involves more than that. But what?








 


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