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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.’
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.
The
Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies
The
Buddhist tradition is central to any understanding of human
culture, social history and contemporary reality. As Asia
rises and western interest grows, its importance is increasingly
recognised. In the modern academy, it has been relatively
little studied and understood. The Oxford Centre for
Buddhist Studies (‘OCBS’) works to remedy that. It studies
Buddhist texts and the thinking and practice they present,
and also Buddhist social history from the origins to the present
day. It does so from original sources, written and oral, in
the languages that past and present representatives of the
tradition have used. Accordingly, it is able to treat the
Buddhist tradition as an interdisciplinary field of study
in its own right.
Psybertron
Pirsig Pages
Many
interesting articles and links here related to the life and
work of Robert Pirsig. ‘I find Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality
and his Dynamical layers of values the closest thing to my
own real-world experience, which has led me on a search for
pragmatic alternatives to the hyper-rationalism of an exclusively
scientific view of the world, in day-to-day organisational
life.’ Ian Glendinning, website owner.
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.
Mark
Richardson's Zen & Now website
Mark Richardson is the award winning editor of the Wheels section
of the Toronto Star newspaper and also the author of Zen
& Now which tells of how Mark tuned up his old motorcycle
and became a "Pirsig pilgrim", following the
original route travelled by Robert Pirsig in 1968. Not only
does Mark meet some of the original characters in ZMM such
as John Sutherland and Gennie DeWeese, there's also plenty
of new biographical material (largely derived from Nancy and
Ted Pirsig). This website features new, chapter-by-chapter
photographs
from his journey in addition to photographs from Pirsigs'
original journey.
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.
Nick and Lydia show us where it's at in New Zealand.
Look
out for Nick's
article about motoring acronyms on this website!
From
the perspective of infinity
"From
the perspective of infinity" is a new blog by Dr Ariella
Popple which was inspired by Robert Pirsig's work and seeks
to examine what is meant by the good life. "I
would like to figure out what really matters. For me, that
means figuring out how to live, or what is good."
Paul
Turner's Twelve Links weblog
A
blog on the MOQ and other related philosophy which though
no longer updated has some good academic writing by the real
Paul Turner and friends.
Caryl
Johnston's Meta-Q weblog
Another blog which hasn't been updated for a
while. Here you will find a series of insightful essays
about the MOQ by Caryl Johnston written in 2007 and 2008.
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... ’
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... and an Alaskan housewife called Sarah Palin.
For
a better quality world...
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 which is run by Dan Mahoney notes most of them.
The
"On The Road with Robert Pirsig" DVD is priced at
$20/£12
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