dyer@vaxuum.DEC (Example #22) (04/27/84)
Pirsig_________________________________________________________________________
Robert Pirsig's _Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance_ is my most
favored philosophical work. In it, he demostrates that the meeting place of
subject and object is Quality.
Has this work been taken seriously in philosophy? I haven't been keep-
ing up with the literature. Has any further work been done in this area? Has
Pirsig written *anything* else?
<_Jym_>
| Jym Dyer | Nashua, NH | ...{allegra,decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!rhea!vaxuum!dyer |unbent@ecsvax.UUCP (04/30/84)
==> No, Pirsig's work hasn't been taken up and taken seriously by the academic philosophical world (to which I belong). There are various (sometimes academic/political) reasons for this--not all of them bad. Pirsig had a Guggenheim Fellowship a couple of years after *Zen and...* came out--to work out a metaphysics (?) [or maybe a Weltanschauung. I forget.] based on his notion of Quality. As far as I know, nothing public has yet come of it. Yours for clearer concepts, --Jay Rosenberg Dept. of Philosophy ...mcnc!ecsvax!unbent Univ. of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27514
arnold@csu-cs.UUCP (Ed Arnold) (04/30/84)
I also enjoy Pirsig's work.
As far as I know, his work isn't taken too seriously in philosophical
circles. I spoke with my favorite Philosophy guru, who by the way is a
University of Chicago alumni, about Zen and the Art. He looked at me and
laughed. He said, "Being the best, whether it be philosopher, motorcycle
mechanic, father, teacher or writer, this is the focus of the book. Yet in
each of these areas he bites off more than he can chew. He tries to eclipse
all of philosophy by using the tools of many of the disciplines he
abandons. On a philosophical level this is a disaster, on a rhetorical level
it's ok, but on a reading level it's really fun!" He seemed to think that
Pirsig and Tom Wolfe would get along fine.
As far as other work, yes you can find plenty, it's called Eastern
Philosophy. The triad that Pirsig sets up is similar to views held in
Taoism, Zenism and Hinduism (let us not forget the larger realm of
Buddism). Most of the work will have to be metaphysical in nature since it
is obvious that Pirsig holds very western views in ethics and aesthetics.
Good titles include, GEB, The Mind's I, The Tao of Physics and The Tao
is Silent.
Enjoy,
Ed Arnold {hplabs,hpfcla,unmvax,hao,denelcor} (csu-cs!arnold)
Colorado State University Ft. Collins, Coloradoken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) (05/03/84)
-- >> I also enjoy Pirsig's work. >> As far as I know, his work isn't taken too seriously in philosophical >> circles. I spoke with my favorite Philosophy guru, who by the way is a >> University of Chicago alumni, about Zen and the Art. He looked at me and >> laughed. He said, "Being the best, whether it be philosopher, motorcycle >> mechanic, father, teacher or writer, this is the focus of the book. Yet >> in each of these areas he bites off more than he can chew. He tries to >> eclipse all of philosophy by using the tools of many of the disciplines >> he abandons. On a philosophical level this is a disaster, on a >> rhetorical level it's ok, but on a reading level it's really fun!" And I also enjoy Pirsig's work, including the more physical variety, wherein he noticed our boat was dragging during a rather nasty squall in Miami harbor in June 1977, when no one was on board. He rowed over and set his own spare storm anchor. His Westsail 32 (named, appropriately, "Arete") was financed by royalties from "Zen..." Nice boat. But, as I understand it, what drove him so deep into neurosis that his shrink suggested he write about it was his experience in the Philosophy Dept. at Chicago. The ogre in "Zen..." must be Mortimer Adler, who seems to demand either adherence to his line or your head. Can a U of C alum give Pirsig a fair shake? -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 02 May 84 [13 Floreal An CXCII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7261 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken *** ***