[MD] belief

[david buchanan]

Ham said:...Pirsig (the author) dearly wants to be identified with the pragmatism of James and the logical positivists.

dmb says:
In both cases (for James and Pirsig), pragmatism is opposed to logical positivism. Pragmatism is also opposed to absolute idealism, Cartesian dualism, Platonism and vicious intellectualism. 
These are just philosophological categories but it really is quite incorrect to say that Pirsig or James want to be identified as positivists. Positivism is the epitome of SOM, the number one exemplar of "objective" truth and scientific amorality.