[MD] Emotions

[Andre Broersen]

Andre:
What we are exploring here is your: 'If quality is not the same thing
as an emotional biological response to it, how is quality experienced?

Squonk:
Yes.

Squonk:
I?m not pissed of with you Andre.
Anyone who is self deprecating enough to regard themselves as
un-expert is charming in my estimation.
I too regard myself as un-expert.
And like your good self, I?m exploring.

Emiricism may work, but it may work because emotions are good at making it work?

Andre:
Hi Squonk, I'm glad my interpretation of your response was unfounded
and thank you for bearing with me too.
In an effort to move away from a solely emotional 'appeal' through
which Quality is experienced (in your words 'sanction the aesthetic of
the new arrangement') I suggested the DQ/SQ postulate.
In ZMM, Pirsig divided Quality into the 'classic (underlying reality
of the scientist e.g. motor mechanics) and the romantic (surface
reality of the artist...classic Quality dependent on a person's
knowledge and romantic Quality dependent on a person's emotions'.

However, his research into the Native American Indians of LILA did not
'capture' this division.i.e.the 'mystical' component (with their
'vision quests)'.of the MoQ. Because this is not a scientific, classic
experience or an aesthetic, romantic one. (McWatt,PhD,P70)

Hence the 'improved' DQ/SQ division of LILA.

Pirsig himself says (of the DQ experience):

'Dynamic Quality is this upwelling...well it isn't anything I can tell
you. This is what you'll hear from the 'Zennies'. But you can discover
it if you work on it. But you won't discover it by conceptualisation
and this is a huge problem that Zen teaching has. You see it over and
over again and this is why they sound so screwy, in their koans and
everything. What they're trying to do is to get you to stop
conceptualising and start experiencing'. ( in McWatt,PhD,P69).

Notice he never uses an emotional 'feel good/feel bad' reference. He
clearly refers to [the totality of] experiencing...wherein all
'subjectivity' and 'objectivity' is dissolved (i.e all static
patterns).

In this sense, even the suggestion that 'afterwards it feels good/ or
bad' takes something away from the DQ/SQ experience.Imho.

For what it is worth.
Andre