We Are An Extension Of The Process That Science Calls Reality

Pirsig Book Discussion Concluded
Ottawa Pub

“What happens,” said Riley, “when we get stuck? Doesn’t our mind
seek a solution? If we think hard enough and long enough, don't we
miraculously solve problems; no matter how deep-rooted they seem to
be? At the very least, don't we discover how to make problems less
problematic? I want to suggest, like many have before me, that a
harmony in the cosmos lures us to those solutions. The mind is a
problem solver a/natural, and `quality' is our guide. Quality, or
whatever you want to call it, gets us unstuck. If the problem is a
difficult one, it is `quality,' not the facts, that lures us to the
answer. In fact, some would say that without an elegant solution, the
problem remains only half-solved. That's the way the scientist goes
about his business, and that same science tells us that reality is not
static; it's dynamic. It doesn't just exist `out there,' in opposition
to us; we are an extension of the process that science calls
`reality.' Our changing views of science and history have taught us
that facts are relative anyway. A fact's validity is determined by the
context it is embedded in, and that context, in turn, is embedded in
our sense of the cosmos' harmony and beauty. Quality is the continuing
stimulus that our environment puts upon us to create the world in
which we live. Phaedrus believed, or wanted to believe, that mind,
nature, and technology are the products of a single prior reality.
Value, for him, was not a derivative of self-conscious thinking;
rather, it was the antecedent of self conscious thinking."

"You really believe all that crap, don't you," Jim said.

"What's not to believe?" responded Riley. "The real question, if you
ask me, is how can you persist in believing in a value free world of
dirt and grim?"

"I can't help myself," Jim shot back, "it's the natural way."

"Well maybe for you it's the natural way," said Riley, "but what nature
is telling me right now is that I've got to pee!"

"Right on!" said Jim, "Do you mind if I tag along? After all, it's a
long way to the bathroom and I wouldn't want you to forget your
purpose. Remember Phaedrus; he wasn't so lucky. He was so overwhelmed
with the `quality of his own thoughts' that he plumb forgot where the
bathroom was. I wouldn't want that to happen to you!"

"Very funny," quipped Riley. "Let's have another round."

"This one’s on me," I replied, "The night is still young."