[MD] Some historical perspective

[markhsmit]

Hi Bo,

I am not fluent in Pirsig's correspondence.  Could you provide an example
of abstract symbols that cannot be reduced to particular experiences?

I know that Wittgenstein tried to build a philosophy on just the
opposite.  All propositions can be reduced to elementary truths
as described in Tractatus.  He later went against this thesis in
Philosophical investigations, and took a more scientific approach.

Does Pirsig take into account Wittgenstein's linguistic philosophy?
It is an in depth look at language and reality.

Cheers
Willblake2

On Oct 28, 2009, at 2:37:52 AM, skutvik at online.no wrote:
I would of course wanted a more radical formulation "Intellect occurred 
when language's words became abstract symbols symbolizing some 
non-symbolic reality. Yours sounds as if there was an "intellect" in 
beforehand that "began the process" (there was an intelligence) You 
see how Pirsig's own definition of the 4th. level (in the Turner letter)

"The skilled manipulation of abstract symbols that have no 
corresponding particular experience and which behave 
according to rules of their own."