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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.
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:
2005 News
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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