[MD] “An Overview of the MOQ by Robert Pirsig” Transcript
MarshaV
valkyr at att.net
Sat May 4 10:59:02 PDT 2013
Yes, very cool! - Marsha
On May 4, 2013, at 5:05 AM, Dan Glover <daneglover at gmail.com> wrote:
> Cool stuff, Anthony! Thanks for sharing it with us
>
> Dan
>
> On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 4:12 PM, Ant McWatt <antmcwatt at hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> For anyone interested here's some useful notes that Henry Gurr has sent to
>> me about the recently published "An Overview of the MOQ by Robert Pirsig"
>> transcript largely icw how the brain works:
>>
>> ----------------------------------
>>
>> Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 18:54:52 -0400
>> Subject: Now a Physics Theory supports Pirsig' saying: Quality is not just
>> some abstraction; it's something that guides your life every minute of
>> every second [of every day] even though you do not intellectually recognize
>> that it is so.
>> From: henrysgurr at gmail.com
>> To: Dr Anthony McWatt et al
>>
>>
>> Dear ZMM Enthusiasts:
>>
>> At the end of this email thread, you will see Anthony McWatt's,
>> announcement of his recent posting of (with link to) his just transcribed,
>> Robert Pirsig Interview from =>
>>
>> "The film (which is the third one featured on the 'The MOQ at Oxford' DVD)
>> originally appeared at the MOQ Study Day held at Oxford University in
>> October 2009."
>>
>> I congratulate Dr McWatt for doing this, since this is a very important
>> document, which everyone
>> should study and take to heart!!! In this reading, you will see that
>> Pirsig's words there, are an excellent. well focused, summary of the
>> essence of both of his books: ZMM and Lila!! Here Pirsig gives us some very
>> practical messages, really a theory, for guiding our every action, and
>> ultimately our life!!
>>
>> To help you get started, I show at A) below, the portion of Anthony's
>> transcript the part where Pirsig discusses just how "BETTER".... comes into
>> daily actions .... each moment ... leading to the next moment:
>>
>> In reading Pirsig's words, you will see how he amplifies the following:
>>
>> "Quality is not just some abstraction; it's something that guides your
>> life every minute of every second [of every day] even though you do not
>> intellectually recognize that it is so. .... "
>>
>> *******
>>
>> This passage really gets my attention because, there is a VERY GOOD
>> PHYSICS THEORY, that says: :
>>
>> Pirsig's message is an intrinsic consequence of how our brain works!!
>>
>> Our brain is a biological mechanism to seek "the best" line of action, for
>> whatever
>> situation is encountered. (Here you should recognize that each new
>> situation, is really " a problem to be solved"!)... as Pirsig says " every
>> minute of every second [of every day]" !!!
>>
>>
>> ****************************************************************
>>
>>
>> AND all the more so, because (as I recently realized) this PHYSICS THEORY
>> of BRAIN operation,
>> shows FACTUAL REASONS for the LITERAL TRUTH of what Pirsig says!! (IE,
>> what Pirsig says: 1) In Anthony's transcribed interview, 2)In what he
>> specifically states (or implies) through-out ZMM and Lila.
>>
>> In case I've peaked your interest, I provide at B) below, the abstract of
>> my recent talk, about this very topic!! To learn more, click on the link
>> next down, to read my paper "Memory, Perception,& Problem Solving --
>> AHA!!!, which discusses Princeton's Physics Professor J J Hopfield's
>> theory, as well as my discussion how this all fits together.
>>
>> These ideas propose an exceedingly important conclusion how our brain does
>> its work!! Moreover, I
>> believe these ideas are the leading edge of yet another "Copernican
>> Inversion, to use Pirsig's words in ZMM (in Chap. 11, p.119 Re: High
>> Country of Mind, overview of philosophers.)
>>
>> I hope I am not being too egotistical, but all this seems to me to be of
>> equivalent importance, to that of say Copernicus, Kepler, Darwin, or
>> Newton. YES... a new Copernican Inversion, that broadly supports Robert
>> Pirsig's... BETTER!!
>>
>> Let me know what you think.
>>
>> Sincerely
>>
>> Henry Gurr
>>
>>
>> ************************************
>>
>>
>> PS: Anthony says at end of his email (pasted below):
>>
>> "I did completely re-edit the film for MSU but, on reviewing the two
>> versions, I realised the first one was actually better. A case of knowing
>> - as an artist - when to make that 'final mark on the canvas'!!.."
>>
>> Yes indeed!! Pirsig, in the interview makes the point this way, quoting
>> Robert Redford: " ... "That's how I make my films!" Well, I don't know what
>> I'm going to do [either], I just have to see what has Quality. If it has
>> Quality then I'll do it. If it doesn't have Quality, I won't
>> do it. If I look at it a week later and I see it doesn't have Quality,
>> I'll throw
>> it out. If I suddenly, in the middle of the night say, think of something
>> better, I'll put that in. "
>>
>>
>> PSS: This reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright's statement:
>>
>> "The Architect's two best friends are the eraser and the sledge hammer."
>> Meaning, that if you see better, immediately replace the not so good!! And
>> don't fret over the the work it took to make the previous!"
>>
>> [N.B. Lloyd Wright is one of my favourite architects. It doesn't surprize
>> me that he said this - Anthony]
>>
>>
>>
>> ****Supplementary Reading, As Mentioned Above***
>>
>>
>>
>> A) An Excerpt from Anthony's "An Overview of the MOQ"by Robert Pirsig
>> transcript :
>>
>> "There is an opening line in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance":
>>
>> "And what is good Phaedrus And what is not good - Need we ask anyone to
>> tell us these things?" R.Pirsig in ____
>>
>> And, of course the answer is "No!" Everybody knows what Quality is. You
>> can't take a step forward without deciding that step is better than
>> standing where you were. You can't take a meal without feeling it'd be
>> better to eat than not to eat and you can't go upstairs without deciding
>> that it will be better to go upstairs... and so on. And so Quality is not
>> just some abstraction; it's something that guides your life every minute of
>> every second [of every day] even though you do not intellectually recognize
>> that it is so.
>>
>> So, I found that certain people know this automatically and they are
>> usually skilled artists. When you're trying to create a painting or a piece
>> of music you've got to have this feeling of what's better. And just this
>> feeling of what is better immediately will guide to whatever you want to
>> do. If you base what you are trying to create on what's been done before
>> you are going to get an imitation of something done before. But if you want
>> to do something new you can't look to the past, you can only look to this
>> empty Dynamic thing that is coming at you and say "Oh yeah, I'll do that!"
>> you know... and put that in. And then it works.
>>
>> Artists sometimes say: "He's got it!". They mean, he is hooked on to that
>> Dynamic thread that pulls
>> them forward into their art world. And people who don't understand that
>> look at their art and say: "Now I wonder how he managed to create that
>> thing?" Well, he doesn't know either; he just knows that something in his
>> consciousness (or something ahead of him) told him to go that way.
>>
>> I've talked with many artists, including Robert Redford interestingly
>> enough and he said "That's how I make my films!" Well, I don't know what
>> I'm going to do [either], I just have to see what has
>> Quality. If it has Quality then I'll do it. If it doesn't have Quality, I
>> won't do it. If I look at it a week later and I see it doesn't have
>> Quality, I'll throw it out. If I suddenly, in the middle of the night say,
>> think of something better, I'll put that in.
>>
>>
>> *****************
>>
>>
>> B) ABSTRACT OF MY TALK GIVEN AT THE South Atlantic Coast
>> Section, American Association of Physics Teachers, Spring 2013 Meeting at
>> the
>> University of North Georgia-Gainesville (formerly Gainesville State
>> College), GA;
>>
>> April 5,6 2013:
>>
>>
>> The Human Mind As General Problem Solver, Is Observed To Find "Best"
>> Solutions, That Correspond
>> To Highest Mental Coherence: This Talk, Continuing Previous, Will Present
>> More Applications of Hopfield"s Mathematical Model of the Mammalian Brain.
>>
>> Henry Gurr, University of South Carolina Aiken,
>>
>> HenryG at usca.edu
>>
>>
>> Princeton Physicist J. J. Hopfield's Mathematical Model of the Mammalian
>> Brain, says our brain Work for Memory, Perception, Language, Thinking,
>> etc, (Even the AHA-EUREKA-Flash Of Insight Type Problem Solving) is
>> achieved by our massively inter-connected CNS Neurons... Working together...
>>
>> MINIMIZING an analog of physical energy, thus yielding Optimal Solutions:
>> These "best" answers, correspond to highest mental coherence, (and in
>> physics language "least action"), for most facets organism response, be it
>> mental (eg: perception, memory, speaking, ideas, etc) or physical(muscular
>> actions, trail following, tool using, etc).
>>
>> Robert Pirsig's book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", applies
>> here:
>>
>> "Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a
>> process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. [Which comes from Optimal
>> Solutions; These "best" answers!!} The motorcycle is primarily a mental
>> phenomenon." ... "The cycle you're working on is a cycle called "yourself."
>> [Here think Hopfield Model!]
>>
>> Physical Chemist, Michael Polanyi's "Personal Knowledge" is also relevant
>> here.
>>
>> Conclusion:" If the shoe fits", then continue investigations, such as:
>> search for supporting
>> data, more observations, and authors.
>>
>>
>>
>> Footnotes:
>>
>> **Hopfield's Mammalian Brain was modeled after, and is similar to his,
>> Solid State Physics Model (& Theory) for Spin Glass, called Isig Glass .
>> More at link below.
>>
>> ***Above in [brackets], was added for this document.
>>
>>
>>
>> *****************
>>
>>
>> My paper "Memory, Perception, Insight, & Problem
>> Solving -- AHA!!! -- :
>>
>> NOTE: There are a series of cartoons, puzzles, and jokes, but do NOT look
>> at these first, or you
>> will miss the point!!
>>
>> Click here:
>>
>> www.usca.edu/math/~mathdept/hsg/MemoryPerception&ProblemSolving.html
>>
>>
>>
>> *****************
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Ant McWatt [antmcwatt at hotmail.co.uk]
>>
>> Subject: Re: "An Overview of the MOQ by Robert Pirsig" Transcript
>>
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I am pleased to announce that the complete and definitive transcript of
>> the short film "An Overview of the MOQ by Robert Pirsig" has now been
>> uploaded at:
>>
>>
>> http://www.robertpirsig.org/Pirsig%202009%20Transcript%20on%20MOQ%20at%20Oxford.htm
>>
>>
>> Many thanks to Andre Broersen who initially transcribed a rough copy of
>> the film; this is especially appreciated as, of course, Andre's first
>> language is not English!
>>
>>
>> The film (which is the third one featured on the "The MOQ at Oxford" DVD)
>> originally appeared at the MOQ Study Day held at Oxford University in
>> October 2009. It was given a second screening at the MSU Chautauqua last
>> December and was also warmly received there
>>
>>
>> Finally, talking of Oxford and Art, look out for the book on the MOQ and
>> Art by Patrick Doorly (the organiser of the MOQ Study Day) which is due to
>> be published soon. For what
>> it's worth, I think it could be a real intellectual turning point...
>>
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>>
>> Anthony McWatt
>>
>>
>> (site administrator)
>>
>> robertpirsig.org
>>
>>
>>
>> ************** END ***************
>>
>>
>>
>> .
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