[MD] The Quest for Quality

[skutvik at online.no]

Hi mel.

(PS. wouldn't it be an idea to introduce yourself? Soon this site only  
consists of anonymous)  

Sep. 13 you wrote;

> Pardon my discomfort...and forgive a point that may be too fine, but it
> seems that to equate Good with Quality, while tempting and seemingly
> harmless, may be more misleading than we first realize upon hearing it. 

A fine point indeed, but I believe I agree. Pirsig's idea is that Reality 
equals Quality (or Value or Morals) I don't think he uses the term 
"good" because it indicates something universal beneficial while a 
particular pattern is only good from inside its own domain. The lower 
level is evil to the next  level ..that in its time becomes the evil for the 
next moral movement.      

> Quality flashes or ripples through perception before the impulse, the
> instinct, to understand snaps it's iron cage of judgement by the
> "conditioned mind" over the fresh unfolding of perception. 

"...flashes through perception before ...etc." makes it sound as if there 
is a perception prior to Quality. This was valid in ZAMM where SOM 
("intellect" in retrospect) was the only (static) fallout and it (SOM) 
presupposes a perceiving subject (and P. of ZAMM reasoned from 
SOM's premises) but in the MOQ one can't speak about perception 
prior to anything. The levels ARE perceptions of Quality, but most 
participants of this site are bent on a "subject" prior to Quality and/or 
the MOQ as some subjective theory. 

> Or to say it another way: The assignment of "good" is a judgement
> assigned to the memory of quality--the image, the reflection,  of what
> is gone. 

> Zenlike it might be termed that the "birds of
> the distracted mind" are trying to peck at the
> shadow of the raptor that passed by a minute ago.

I have no idea about the Zen.

Bo.