Lila: An Inquiry into Morals
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| Lila: An Inquiry into Morals | |
 1st paperback edition cover |
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| Author | Robert M. Pirsig |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Philosophical novel |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Publication date | 1991 (revised edition published 2006) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 409 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-07873-9 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values |
Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991) is the second philosophical novel by Robert M. Pirsig, who is best known for his classic text, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Lila: An Inquiry into Morals was a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 [1]. This semi-autobiographical story takes place in the autumn as the author sails his boat down the Hudson River. Phaedrus, the author's alter ego, is jarred out of his solitary routine by an encounter with Lila, a straightforward but troubled woman who is nearing a mental breakdown.
Contents |
[edit] Major themes
As in his past book, the narrative is embedded between rounds of philosophical discussion. The main goal of this book is to develop a complete metaphysical system based on the idea of Quality introduced in his first book. Unlike his previous book, in which he creates a dichotomy between Classical and Romantic Quality, this book centers on the division of Quality into the Static and the Dynamic.
Another goal of this book is to critique the field of anthropology. Pirsig claims traditional objectivity renders the field ineffective. He then turns his concept of Quality toward an explanation of the difficulties Western society has had in understanding the values and perspectives of American Indians. One interesting conclusion is that modern American culture is the result of a melding of Native American and European values.
Another theme analyzed using the Metaphysics of Quality is the interaction between Intellectual and Social patterns. Pirsig states that until the end of the Victorian era, social patterns dominated the conduct of members of the American culture. In the aftermath of World War I, intellectual patterns and the scientific method acceded to that position, becoming responsible for directing the nation's goals and actions. The later occurrences of fascism are seen as an anti-intellectual struggle to return social patterns to the dominant position. The hippie movement, having perceived the flaws inherent in both social and intellectual patterns, sought to transcend them, but failed to provide a stable replacement, degenerating instead into lower level biological patterns as noted in its calls for free love.
[edit] Name inspiration
In spite of the fact that Pirsig attended graduate studies of Hindu philosophy at Banaras Hindu University and also attended Ram Lila celebrations in India, the name of the female character, Lila, is accidental. "I asked Pirsig ... he said it was like 'lilaq,' and that, 'it was the unsubtlety of the lilac odour and the hardiness of the bush that helped suggest her name to me.'" [1]
[edit] Criticisms
The book has been criticised for being presented in a way that suits neither fact nor fiction. The title suggests a factual enquiry, but the characters appear fictional. While the book's narrative is mostly from the perspective of the main character, who is a thinly diguised version of the author, some sections come directly from Lila, and since her thoughts generally support the author's viewpoint in real life, appear a bit dishonest [2].
The main philosophical idea presented by the book is that Quality or value (by which Pirsig seems to mean what feels good, rather than what is good on a given value scale) is a property of the interaction between subject and object and is more fundamental than either; subjects and objects only attain existence through interaction, and that interaction therefore comes first. This has been challenged as unconvincing when set aside an alternative explanation in terms of evolutionary psychology. Thus one of Pirsig's examples, of a man sitting on a hot stove and perceiving the experience as one of 'low quality' fails to demonstrate that quality is a fundamental property of things, since it is easy to explain his actions in terms of an evolutionarily evolved instinct to avoid things that our senses tell us will damage our bodies [3].
The book has been described as 'thought provoking rather than enlightening', and is unusual in attempting to put over a man's deepest thoughts in an interesting way. In an interview, the author has said that he is disappointed that more 'seriously thinking people' do not really understand his ideas fully. Many people, he says, write to him that they re-read the book many times but still don't really understand it, adding "I have read many reviews criticising my ideas, but I have yet to see anything that proves me wrong. I'd like to give a prize to the first person who can convince me that my ideas about a metaphysics of quality are wrong."[4].
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Glover, Dan (ed) (2003). Lila's Child. 1stBooks, 383 & 354. ISBN 1-4033-5620-3.
[edit] External links
- Review by Russ Allbery
- Pirsig describes Lila in an interview in 2005 (audio file)
- Critical Thinker resources on Pirsig
- A look at Pirsig's quality
