David Buchanan's "Fun with Blasphemy" lecture made a considerable impact at the 2005 MOQ Conference. Likewise, it has proved a highlight with viewers of the new "Arrive Without Travelling" DVD. I'm therefore very pleased to present THE RELATION OF ART AND MORALITY IN JOHN DEWEY'S "ART & CIVILIZATION" which is a new academic paper by David. The paper is largely concerned with John Dewey's statement that "Art is more moral than moralities" using Pirsig's MOQ and the work of Martin Heidegger.

January 2008 News

New for 2008, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original motorcycle road trip that Robert Pirsig, his son Chris and his friends, the Sutherlands, undertook across America, an authorized DVD series about the MOQ and Robert Pirsig's life will be released during this year.

As part of this forthcoming set, "Arrive Without Travelling" is the first ever DVD to feature Robert Pirsig on film. Using professional quality footage and excerpts from Pirsig's own home movies, here you will find him in conversation with students of his work and in more informal moments filmed largely during his recent visit to Liverpool. To purchase a copy of this DVD for $25 (or the euro or sterling equivalent), please press either of the buttons below depending on what format (NTSC or PAL) you require. Postage & packing is free.

The PDF version of the first ever PhD concerning Pirsig's MOQ remains available together with its appendix containing correspondence from Robert Pirsig that specifically relates to some of the philosophical issues it examines. This is the text which Paul Turner described as 'a fantastic piece of work'!

To purchase the PDF copy of the PhD by credit card or PayPal at £8 sterling (or the euro or US dollar equivalent) press the PayPal symbol below:

In addition to my actual thesis, the original MOQ Textbook is still for sale. Its remit is wider than the PhD and therefore tends to cover many issues related to the MOQ not explored elsewhere. However, as with the PhD, it was also read through by Robert Pirsig a number of times and commented on before being finalised. To purchase the PDF copy of the MOQ Textbook by credit card or PayPal at £6 sterling (or the euro or US dollar equivalent) press the PayPal symbol below:

2007 News

New paper by Gavin Gee-Clough

Another classic piece of prose from Mr Gee-Clough about having a home, the social Giant, the situationists and magic mushrooms right here, right now!

Update on Henry Gurr's page

I am pleased to announce a web version of Professor Henry Gurr's presentation at the 2005 MOQ Conference on the sights and scenes still to be found on the original 1968 "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" route in addition to the handout that was given out then.

Andrew Sneddon's MA Thesis - Parts One & Two

Andrew Sneddon submitted an excellent comparison between the MOQ and Whitehead's process philosophy as his M.A. thesis. Read the introduction and the first half of the thesis here. This half has been proof read again recently and corrected while Part Two has finally been formatted for the internet. It can be found here. Many thanks to Dan Glover for scanning the hardcopy of Andrew's thesis and Ted Cole for the illustration found at the top of Part Two.

New paper by David Buchanan

David Buchanan has been contributing posts on MOQ Discuss of a consistent high quality for a number of years now. However, it is only recently that David has turned some of his thoughts into fully developed academic papers. I'm therefore very pleased to present one of the first such papers here which argues that the neo-pragmatist Richard Rorty implicitly retains an SOM metaphysics by his overlooking of radical empiricism.

2006 News

New Pirsig Interview with the Observer

In connection with the UK re-publication of LILA recently, Robert Pirsig gave a very good wide ranging interview with Tim Adams of the London Observer which was published on Sunday November 19th. For those who missed this edition of the Observer, an on-line version of the article can be found at:

www.arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1951537,00.html

While the full interview can be found via the following link:

The new edition of LILA

Alma Books are republishing LILA in the UK (see the picture of the new edition to the left). It is often forgotten that LILA was a 1992 Pulitzer fiction finalist despite its reputation as just being a rather depressing romantic novel filled with "intellectual digressions". Even without being published in the UK for a number of years, Pirsig's second text has still sold nearly 800,000 copies (not exactly a failure for a philosophy book - compared to other "best sellers" in the area which rarely reach sales of over 100,000 copies).

Alma is an independent publisher with an appropriate reputation for producing high quality books. Their manifesto emphasizes that "alma," Spanish for "soul," is an apt name "for a company that regards a book as an aesthetic artefact rather than as a mass-produced commodity." Alessandro Gallenzi, who founded Alma, underlines that a small publisher can focus properly on every step of production so this new UK edition of LILA should be an improvement not only on the Random House paperback (the only edition of LILA previously available) but even on the 1991 Bantam Press hardback. Possibly, LILA was ahead of its time in 1991 but in this age where we increasingly need to develop a more Dynamic inclusive culture, maybe its time has finally come.

New book about Robert Pirsig and John Dewey

In connection with the UK re-publication of LILA recently, Robert Pirsig gave his first face-to-face broadsheet interview for quite a few years (or should that even be decades?) with John Freeman of the London Times. This was published on Saturday August 5th. For those who missed this edition of the Times, an on-line version of the article ("In the company of Zen") can be found at:

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-2297735_1,00.html

In the Times article, reference is made to a new book relating the work of John Dewey and Robert Pirsig by David A. Granger called John Dewey, Robert Pirsig, and the Art of Living. For a preview of chapter 7 of Granger's book, please follow this link:

August 2005 News

New name: new website! Hopefully you all like the new site design, which as well as helping clarity should give easier access to all the information contained herein, including the recent MOQ Conference. If you have any comments, please let me know!

Anthony McWatt

e-mail : anthonymcwatt{a}hotmail.com

Paul Turner has written a brief guide to the tetralemma (linked here) and continues to add to his new philosophy blog at www.twelvelinks.blogspot.com which is providing some valuable insights into the MOQ and East Asian philosophy.

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Finally, many, many thanks to Michael Brant at Conference Recording Services for his assistance in the preparation of selections from Robert Pirsig's interview with 'Chip' Baggett at the 1993 AHP Conference scattered throughout the website. The complete discussion "The Metaphysics of Quality: A New Paradigm" between Robert Pirsig & Leland 'Chip' Baggett at the 1993 AHP Conference can be purchased at the following website:

www.conferencerecording.com

A splendid (philosophical) time is guaranteed for all!