[MD] A transcendent moral order

[plattholden at gmail.com]

Hi All,

The longer I participate in MOQ_discuss, the more I see Pirsig's 
metaphysics confirmed, not only by all of you (even Ham is getting 
mighty close), but also by those in the "outside" world. Case in point, 
today's NYTimes book review of "The Evolution of God" by Robert 
Wright which includes the following excerpt:

"In sharp contrast to many contemporary secularists, Wright is bullish 
about monotheism. In "Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny" (2000), 
he argued that there is a moral direction to human history, that 
technological growth and expanding global interconnectedness have 
moved us toward ever more positive and mutually beneficial 
relationships with others. In "The Evolution of God," Wright tells a 
similar story from a religious standpoint, proposing that the increasing 
goodness of God reflects the increasing goodness of our species. 'As 
the scope of social organization grows, God tends to eventually catch 
up, drawing a larger expanse of humanity under his protection, or at 
least a larger expanse of humanity under his toleration.' Wright argues 
that each of the major Abrahamic faiths has been forced toward moral 
growth as it found itself interacting with other faiths on a multinational 
level, and that this expansion of the moral imagination reflects 'a higher 
purpose, a transcendent moral order.' " 

The last two lines of the review is especially prescient. After denying the 
existence of an Almighty God but allowing for perhaps a "minimalist" 
one, the reviewer says: 

"The good news is that there would be a divine being. The bad news that 
it's not the one that anyone is looking for."

Right. But when those floundering around in ignorance discover the 
"indeterminate divine" of Dynamic Quality, the bad news will turn to 
good.

Platt.