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MOQ.Org
‘MOQ.org exists to provide a forum for discussion and
study of the Metaphysics of Quality as proposed by Robert
M. Pirsig in his books Lila: An Inquiry into Morals
and Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.’
Caryl Johnston's Meta-Q
weblog
Here’s an interesting series of new essays about the MOQ by
the writer/editor, Caryl Johnston. Her initial essay
starts:
Thirty-three years ago Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance took the American publishing world by
storm in 1974... To aging baby boomers who may have missed the
book when it first came out, and wearied by neoliberalism and
neoconservatism and all the perversions known to man in
between the two, it may come as a surprise to know that the
book is not much about either Zen or motorcycles. Zen and its
1991 sequel, Lila, are actually novels about a quest to
establish the purpose and value of philosophy. Or rather, they
are attempts to raid the encampment of philosophy, which has
become entrenched in the subject-object dualism of modern
rationalism and fortified by the spoils dispensed by
universities, government, and economics, to capture its real
prize: an orientation that makes sense of the world, makes a
difference in how one lives, and does justice to all levels of
human nature... Both books, but especially the second one,
contain striking and thoughtful insights into the nature of
the modern project, especially in its American incarnation. I
want to focus in particular on how these insights help us to
understand our society and why it seems to have such
difficulty with the affirmation of moral truths.
Paul
Turner's Twelve Links weblog
A blog on the MOQ and other philosophy which has proved
interesting. ‘I've coined a term to describe the type of
philosophy I'm promoting here: aontic. It's an
attempt to convey a repudiation of the Being/Non-Being
division which is generally assumed to be the starting point
of metaphysics. I think anti-ontological is more or
less the same thing but aontic is not necessarily
implying a dialectically opposed doctrine nor simply a
critique of ontology but can also be just a philosophy with a
different starting point to the question of Being.’
Historical
site information on ZMM route
A website run by Henry Gurr, retired Professor of Physics Emeritus, USCA, primarily existing to identify buildings and the route
described in Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
It includes the original photographs taken by Robert Pirsig
on the 1968 trip as well as nearly 1300 photos taken of the route by Professor Gurr in
2002 and 2006 where he attempts to find and photograph the actual
places described in the book. Gurr goes into some detail so
making this website an invaluable resource
for anyone planning to travel the original '68 route for themselves.
Gary Wegner's ZMM
route website
A website run by Gary Wegner (pictured on the railing above!) which
includes detailed route-maps of the Pirsigs' July 1968 trip
plus some interesting observations and photographs of the
scenery and buildings on the route. These include
a number of photographs from Gary's own trip along much of
the route in Summer 1978.
Christoph Bartneck's ZMM route website
In ZMM, Pirsig mentions several towns he and his son visit
during their motorcycle tour. Several people have followed the
route the Pirsigs took but if you cannot take the tour
yourself, you might be interested in the aerial views of the
towns collated (via links) at this website. Many of the
surrounding lakes, rivers and mountains are also evident.
Michael Round's Center for autoSOCRATIC EXCELLENCE
Using the philosophy in ZMM as one of his primary guides,
Michael Round seeks the integration of mathematics, science,
computer programming and logical thinking into a single unit
of investigative discovery and understanding.
Gennie De
Weese website
Robert & Gennie DeWeese were friends of Robert Pirsig that
he met while at Montana State College and are famously
mentioned in Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Until recently, Gennie was still working and some of her paintings can be viewed at
the
family website in the link above.
Gennie says: ‘I’m not an
innovator but, rather, an observer. How to translate the
visual impact of the seen into the visual language with the
most economy of means in the primary goal. It’s always the
next one that will succeed!’
Sam
Norton's Elizaphanian blogspot
A blog on the MOQ, Wittgenstein, general philosophy and
theology which will be of special interest to those concerned
with the issues of peak oil and global warming.
Minnesota Zen
Center
Minnesota Zen Meditation Center was formed when the
founding head teacher, Dainin Katagiri Roshi was invited to
come from California in 1972 to teach a small but growing
group of Minneapolis students interested in the dharma.
One of these students was Robert Pirsig. The Center
continues to welcome all those who would like to practice Zen
Buddhist meditation.
The
Plott Project in the Global History of Philosophy
John Plott was a colleague of Robert Pirsig’s at Benares
University. ‘It
seems as though [John] was closer to the MOQ at that time than
I was.’
The Plott website notes: ‘Persons interested in the
comparative and historical study of philosophies, religions,
civilizations and cultures will be able to appreciate and
benefit from the Plott project in the global history of
philosophy. The project possesses both a published and
unpublished corpus, a completed and ongoing task, and a
written, oral, and now Internet set of traditions.’
Native American Sites on the World Wide Web
This website is run by Lisa Mitten (a mixed-blood
Mohawk Indian) who was formerly a librarian for 14 years at the University of
Pittsburgh. In 2000, she became the Social Sciences Subject Editor for
anthropology, history and sociology for CHOICE magazine.
‘My goal is to facilitate communication among Native peoples and between
Indians and non-Indians by providing access to home pages of Native American
Nations and organizations, and to other sites that provide solid information
about American Indians.’
The Sidis Archives
From American cultural history to fundamental physics, ‘the
great discoveries of William James Sidis are coming to light.’
This website notes most of them.
PRI - Paradigm
Research International
Paradigm shifts happen due to technological innovation,
scientific research, policy decisions, business practices, and
cultural shifts. In today's world of constant change,
PRI seeks to differentiate true
paradigm shifts from the numerous fads and trends touted in
mainstream media by keeping abreast of advances in the fields of
science, technology, business, economics and government
policies. Using the MOQ as its underlying philosophy,
PRI helps organizations recognize and respond to
such paradigm shifts.
Brent's philosophy website
A blog set-up in September 2005 by Brent
Vizeau (one of the Canadian students who attended the MOQ
Conference in July 2005). Please note that Brent has also set-up a regular philosophy
'cafe group' in Edmonton, Alberta
that discusses a specific issue every week. Details
of these meetings are given on his website.
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