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Old news 2005-2011
April 2011 News
The
recent Amazon.com interview with Sam Harris caught the
eye of MOQ.org contributor Andre Broersen. So much
so, Andre has written an "open letter" answering the same
questions asked of Harris but from an MOQ perspective.
Please click on the above image to read Andre's answers.
Congratulations are also in order for David Buchanan and
his recent degree success. Deservedly so knowing
the hard work he put into his college work and his in-depth
knowledge of Pirsig's work.
March 2011 News
Firstly,
please note the new MOQ Boxset (pictured) which contains
the "On The Road with Robert Pirsig", "The
MOQ at Oxford" and the "On The Road with
John Sutherland" DVDs together with a bonus CD of
various PDF documents including the Pirsig PhD
and MOQ Textbook. This will soon be joined
by a transcript of David Buchanan's Oxford lecture found
on the "MOQ
at Oxford"
DVD together with a new commentary on the Pirsig PhD and
a PDF of some of my pre-email correspondence with Robert
Pirsig from the 1990s. Watch this space!
October 2010 News
Earlier
this year, Mary Friend, one of the viewers of the
"MOQ at Oxford"
DVD went through Robert Pirsig's July 2009 film and transcribed
it. Unfortunately, without Pirsig's original notes
at hand, Mary's transcription had some errors in it.
These have now been corrected and the new 'definitive'
transcript published at the following link:
 
David
Buchanan,Gavin Gee-Clough, Prof. Henry Gurr, John Sutherland
& Dr Anthony McWatt on the day of John's interview in September 2006.
August
2010 News
Hot
on the heels of the well acclaimed "MOQ
at Oxford DVD", I'm pleased to announce "On
The Road with John Sutherland" the final DVD in the MOQ DVD
Series. This primarily features an interview with John Sutherland talking
about how he got involved with Robert Pirsig and the piece of writing which was
to become "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Robert
Pirsig on the interview, earlier last month: "I
think the John Sutherland interview, which we just looked at, will be a valuable
part of the record. He has some opinions about me and 'Zen
& the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance'
that will help fill things in."
In
addition to the interview with John Sutherland, there is also a full length
interview with Professor Ron DiSanto, the co-author of the "Guidebook to
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"; the definitive guide
to Pirsig's first book. In his DVD interview, Professor DiSanto concentrates on the MOQ though there
are also some interesting personal asides such as his meetings with Robert
Pirsig and John Sutherland in the mid-1980s. The DVD is for sale at $20/£12.99
for all regions. Postage
and packing free!
On the Road with John Sutherland
DVD front cover
Gavin Gee-Clough,
a contributor on the Arrive Without Travelling DVD
"Arrive Without
Travelling" was 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 visit to Liverpool in 2005.
To purchase a copy
of this DVD for $20 (or the sterling equivalent), please
press either of the buttons below depending on what format
(NTSC or PAL) you require. Postage & packing
is free.
July
2009 News
I am pleased to announce the forthcoming Study Day at
Oxford University on Art and the Metaphysics of Quality!
The details for it can be found
below:
Art and the Metaphysics
of Quality
Key facts
| Location |
Oxford University,
Department of Continuing Education |
| Address |
Rewley House,
1 Wellington Square, Oxford |
| Dates |
Day:
Saturday October 24th 2009
Time of meeting: 9.30am - 5.00pm
Number of meetings: 1 |
| Subject
area(s) |
History
of Art
Philosophy
|
| Fees |
From £44.00 |
| Application
status |
Applications
now closed |
| Course code |
O09P105ARJ |
|
|
Overview
Robert
Pirsig’s classic examination of Quality in Zen
and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)
and Lila (1991) has still to make a visible
impression on an academic discipline, despite
the high regard in which his work is held by many
academics. This study day will review his achievement,
and test it against the approach to art history
advocated by Sir Ernst Gombrich (1909–2001), perhaps
the leading art historian of his day.
Programme details
A lecture by David
Buchanan:
Common sense and
the Western philosophical tradition
both tell us that quality is simply a characteristic
of good
things or that it is the subjective impression
of one who
perceives those things as good. Pirsig’s Metaphysics
of
Quality, however, turns this notion on its head.
This
revolution is accomplished on an empirical basis,
which
can be explained by way of the Radical Empiricism
of
William James.
Two lectures by Patrick Doorly:
Lecture One
Throughout his long
and distinguished career, Ernst Gombrich
maintained that there is no such thing as Art
(with a capital
A), which is a concept invented by Romantic philosophers.
In its place he advocated a return to the original
meaning of
the word as ‘mastery’ or skill, a usage that survives
in
everyday speech. This talk compares Gombrich’s
‘mastery’
with Pirsig’s Quality.
Lecture Two
How can Quality
be real when its manifestations are so
various, and trying to grasp it is as futile as
trying to catch
your own shadow? While the experience of Quality
is
immediate and dynamic, Pirsig found that we interpret
it
according to patterns left by previous Quality
events, which
survive on four discrete levels. These static
patterns of
value include the schemata shown by Gombrich to
form the
starting point of every artistic undertaking.
Indeed the
Metaphysics of Quality resolves many hitherto
intractable
problems in contemporary fine art and art history.
A presentation by Dr Anthony McWatt:
Since 2005 Anthony
McWatt has commissioned several extended
video recordings of Robert Pirsig discussing his
work on
Quality, most of which have yet to be broadcast.
He has
compiled some extracts from these tapes especially
for this
study day, each of which he will introduce, and
allow time
for questions after screening.
Staff
Mr David Buchanan
Role: Speaker
is a postgraduate
student at the University of Colorado at Denver.
He spoke at the Liverpool conference on the
Metaphysics of Quality in 2005.
Mr Patrick Doorly
Role: Speaker
was Acting Director
of Studies for Art History at the Department
for Continuing Education at Oxford University
in 2001-02. Since then he has taught part-time
in the department while writing his book The
Truth about Art. (forthcoming)
Dr Anthony McWatt
Role: Speaker
is the only person
in the world with a PhD in the Metaphysics of
Quality. In 2005 he organised the conference
on the Metaphysics of Quality at the University
of Liverpool, with Pirsig in attendance. Dr
McWatt is now working on a series of films devoted
to Robert Pirsig’s life and work. He also administers
the official Robert Pirsig website at www.robertpirsig.org.
Recommended reading
Robert M Pirsig,
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
An Inquiry into Values (1974; London: Vintage,
1999).
Robert M Pirsig,
Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991; London:
Alma Books, 2006).
Ernst Gombrich,
The Story of Art (1950; Oxford: Phaidon
Press Ltd, 1995).
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Finally, as a bit of fun, don't miss Nick
Summerhayes article about motoring acronyms.
The photographs of his Mini are especially not to be missed!
April
2009 News
Here's further feedback about the "On the Road with Robert
Pirsig" film from Professor Ron DiSanto (the co-author
of the "Guidebook to Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"):
From: DiSanto, Ronald
Sent: 03 April 2009 13:33:26
To: 'Anthony McWatt'
Anthony,
Thanks a million for "On the Road." It is truly a first
class piece of work, deserving of a wide audience, which
I hope it receives. Pirsig comes across as a truly enlightened
being --- insightful, yet humble, unassuming, down to
earth. You keep him center focus, as is right. The side-bar
comments of others, the scenery, and the judiciously chosen
music (at least per my taste) all enhance that focus.
Splendid!
All the Best,
Ron DiSanto
Thanks Ron. And, continuing with the positive theme,
here's some photos from the first public screening of
"On the
Road" at the Shoebox Gallery in the Roberts Building,
Minneapolis which took place on February 27th:
   
This is the same building where Robert Pirsig wrote much
of "Zen
& the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in the early
seventies. In addition to the film screening, there
were readings related to Pirsig and his work. Sean
Smuda, the gallery art owner relates:
'Over 70 people showed and Robert Pirsig's old friend
Eric Storlie sent a book of his reminiscences titled "Nothing
on my Mind". Worth a read and a very funny bit with Pirsig
in it...
Apparently there will be an article
on it in the motorcycle magazine Thunderpress... Thanks
again so much! Cheers, Sean Smuda'
Sean has a website which can be found via the following
link:
www.seansmuda.com
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March
2009 News
I'm pleased to see that the "On the Road" film is receiving
very positive feedback. Here's some examples below:
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 10:27:47 -0500
To: anthonymcwatt@hotmail.com
From: marshalz@charter.net
The video is wonderful. You've done an excellent job.
I've painted him on the motorcycle trip, at the 2005 Conference
and as a little boy. [Pirsig] totally has my heart. I
loved seeing the movies and stills from his growing up
years. And it was superbly put together.
From: Andre Broersen (andrebroersen@gmail.com)
Sent: 23 February 2009 20:08:48
To: Anthony McWatt (anthonymcwatt@hotmail.com)
Anthony,
I cannot express in words the delight I felt when finding
the DVD in my mailbox, the joy I felt watching it and
the lasting experience it is giving me.
This is wonderful stuff and again Pirsig is refreshing...
I am full of admiration for the man. His basic shyness
and awkwardness in social situations are obvious to me
but these characteristics are so endearing and disarming
from someone who has given the world so much.
I have come across this 'stance' in China very often...
this... humility... Even the statement that he didn't
really write the book... he was just the medium through
which DQ could reveal itself... A very remarkable
man.
From: david buchanan (dmbuchanan@hotmail.com)
Sent: 24 February 2009 23:13:44
To: Anthony McWatt (anthonymcwatt@hotmail.com)
I watched "On The Road" yesterday. It was a thrill to
see Pirsig telling the story behind the story...
the split-screen thing you did with the Sutherland interview
was a real nice touch and the way he and Pirsig talk about
each other (as buddies) adds a certain warmth that I didn't
expect. Nice editing choice there.
From: Ian Glendinning (ian.glendinning@gmail.com)
Sent: 08 March 2009 18:48:55
To: Anthony McWatt (anthonymcwatt@hotmail.com)
Really liked this documentary ... already published
a review ... hope you like it. Already had one commenter
asking where to get a copy ...
http://www.psybertron.org/?p=2202
At the rate of improvement from the first to second,
my expectations for a third and fourth are running sky-high
;-)
I'm not too sure I can quite maintain this rate of improvement
but at least the third MOQ film (which largely features
a full length interview with John Sutherland about his
perspective on Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)
is well into production. Watch this space!
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On The Road with Robert Pirsig DVD (back view)
December
2008 News
"On The Road with Robert Pirsig" is the second film in
the authorized DVD series about Robert Pirsig's life and
work. As with "Arrive Without Travelling", this film uses
professional quality footage and excerpts from Pirsig's
own home movies (going back to the 1930s) though this
time the focus is the writing of "Zen & the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance" and the people and places of the
original motorcycle road trip described therein.
To purchase a copy of this DVD for $25 (or the sterling
equivalent), please press either of the buttons below
depending on what format (NTSC or PAL) you require. Postage
& packing is free.
The limited promotional offer of the signed edition
of LILA with the "On The Road with Robert Pirsig" DVD
has now ended.
September
2008 News
"80 is wonderful. There's no more work. No more responsibility.
No more fear of failure. People are much nicer to
you. They even celebrate your birthday. Thank
you. I hope you all live to be 80 too and see for
yourself what I mean."
Robert Pirsig
quoted from the new unabridged
audio book version of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance" (ISBN 978-1-874703-48-8) which comprises
eleven CDs and features a specially written introduction
by James Landis, the perceptive editor who first gave
the book a chance. To hear an extract from the ZMM
audiobook, please click on the picture below:
Another
80th anniversary related item is
"Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the
Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"  by
Mark Richardson who relates his own recent experiences
while following the original route travelled by Robert
Pirsig in 1968. Not only does Richardson meet some
of the original characters in ZMM such as John Sutherland
and Gennie DeWeese, there's plenty of new biographical
material to keep the interest of even the most diehard
Pirsig fan.
“Assured
and poetic... A sort of Cliff’s Notes version of the dense
original, and as much of a biography of Pirsig as Richardson
was able to piece together... An enjoyable read... Richardson
is quite meticulous in describing the thoughts, sensations,
even the superstitions many motorcyclists experience while
riding.”
Susan
Carpenter of The Los Angeles Times
July 2008 News
MOQ
Conference Concluding Thoughts
by Khoo Hock Aun
On
the fortieth anniversary of the original ZMM road trip
this month, I am pleased to finally present a transcript
for
Khoo
Hock Aun's Conference talk
which is found at the end of the new "Arrive Without Travelling"
DVD.
Khoo's presentation makes the important point that the
MOQ could be used in East Asia as
an antidote to the global "Westernisation" of its intellectual
heritage. I would therefore like to thank David
Harding for making a word for word transcript from the
video footage and Khoo for then rewriting this "literal"
transcript to improve how it scans as a written piece.
Thanks also to Chris Eichenberger for alerting me to a
small typo error in the MOQ summary which has now been
corrected.
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June 2008 News
New paper by David Buchanan
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.
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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. To see the promo of the series, please press
on the following link:
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 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 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:
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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 titled "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.
________________
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!
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