In Pt. 2, I described Pirsig's notion of dynamic vs. static quality, which should sound a lot like naturalistic moral intuitionism as discussed in our Hume/Smith episode. All there is is people (or, more widely for Pirsig, any being that is capable of reacting affirmatively or negatively to anything: judging agents, we might want to call them), and morality can only be founded Continue Reading …
Lila Notes, Pt. 2: Dynamic vs. Static Quality
The big distinction made in Lila is between dynamic quality and static quality. Dynamic quality is Quality in ZAMM, i.e. the immediate, moment-to-moment recognition of something's awesomeness level, but also in ZAMM, he wants us to recognize quality in classical (as opposed to romantic) forms, for example, the quality of the structure of a motorcycle. Since dynamic quality is Continue Reading …
Lila Notes, Pt. 1: On the Legitimacy of Skimming the Narrative Bits
Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals,as you may have heard, is Pirsig's sole follow-up book to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, though he's written some other articles and things since then that I hope to look into via future blog posts here. In it, he elaborates his Metaphysics of Quality further, applies it to critique modern society and the hippie movement in particular Continue Reading …
Episode 50: Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” (Citizens Only)
On Robert M. Pirsig's philosophical, autobiographical novel from 1974. What's the relationship between science and values? Pirsig thinks that modern rationality, by insisting on the fundamental distinction between objects (matter) and subjects (people), labels value judgments as irrational. Society therefore largely ignores aesthetic considerations in the buildings and Continue Reading …
PREVIEW-Episode 50: Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
This is a short preview of the full episode Buy Now Purchase this episode for $2.99. Or become a PEL Citizen for $5 a month, and get access to this and all other paywalled episodes, including 68 back catalogue episodes; exclusive Part 2's for episodes published after September, 2020; and our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat more Continue Reading …
Topic for #50: Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
[Note: This article has been updated post-discussion; I didn't want to create a new post when we've had all this great discussion on this one that I want people to continue. The episode itself should be up w/in the next day or two.] Mark, Seth, Dylan, and guest David Buchanan have recorded a conversation on Robert M. Pirsig'sZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,a book Continue Reading …