[MD] Intellect Worship

[Steven Peterson]

Hi All,

Sometimes I get the impression that the MOQ is about becoming more
intellectual. Intellect, as the highest static level, is too revered.
The top position in the static hieracrchy is seen as so important that
some feel the need to make the intellectual level the "individual
level" so that individuals can share in the reverence afforded to
intellect and what makes others think that the MOQ itself will only
itself be revered if it is put above even the revered intellect.

I have news for some of you: Phaedrus is not a hero. Phaedrus is
Pirsig's embodiment of intellectual values as Rigel is for social
values, Lila is for biological values, and perhaps the boat is for
inorganic values. However, none of these characters represent the
ideal of what we should aspire to be. Instead I think the MOQ is about
integrating the biological, social, intellectual, and dynamic aspects
of ourselves rather than being dominated by intellectual patterns.
Consider Pirsig's description of Phasedrus in ZAMM:

"Some things can be said about Phædrus as an individual:

He was a knower of logic, the classical system-of-the-system which
describes the rules and procedures of systematic thought by which
analytic knowledge may be structured and interrelated. He was so swift
at this his Stanford-Binet IQ, which is essentially a record of skill
at analytic manipulation, was recorded at 170, a figure that occurs in
only one person in fifty thousand.

He was systematic, but to say he thought and acted like a machine
would be to misunderstand the nature of his thought. It was not like
pistons and wheels and gears all moving at once, massive and
coordinated. The image of a laser beam comes to mind instead; a single
pencil of light of such terrific energy in such extreme concentration
it can be shot at the moon and its reflection seen back on earth.
Phædrus did not try to use his brilliance for general illumination. He
sought one specific distant target and aimed for it and hit it. And
that was all. General illumination of that target he hit now seems to
be left for me.

In proportion to his intelligence he was extremely isolated. There’s
no record of his having had close friends. He traveled alone. Always.
Even in the presence of others he was completely alone. People
sometimes felt this and felt rejected by it, and so did not like him,
but their dislike was not important to him.

His wife and family seem to have suffered the most. His wife says
those who tried to go beyond the barriers of his reserve found
themselves facing a blank. My impression is that they were starved for
some kind of affection which he never gave.

No one really knew him. That is evidently the way he wanted it, and
that’s the way it was. Perhaps his aloneness was the result of his
intelligence. Perhaps it was the cause. But the two were always
together. An uncanny solitary intelligence."

Consider also the frequent comments in Lila about how Phaedrus has
difficulty relating to other people and wishes he were more like
Dusenberry such as when Phaedrus decided on the rediculaous idea of
studying Lila like a scientist to see what makes her tick. "She
probably wouldn't tell him anything.  Just like the Indians and the
"objective" anthros. Dusenberry should be here.  He could get it out
of her.  All I'm good for is theory, Phædrus thought."

Phaedrus is not the Zen Master of the story, he is Mr Spock. He is an
aspect of Pirsig's personality and not, I assume, what Pirsig aspires
to be. Nor should we. Nor should we be so caught up in the top dog
status of intellect. This mistake has contributed to making who were
once the MOQs two top priests into heretics.

Best,
Steve