As I’m reading Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZaTAoMM) after reading Anathema, I couldn’t help but draw some affinity between the two. both talks about the scientific method, it’s aesthetics and the aesthetics of the output derived from it.
The nature of Quality and it’s undefined aesthetics.
Anathema touches much on the multiplicity of cosmi, the question between of the universe and the consciousness of the observer. the realisation that if one observes one also alters what is being observed. all this while telling you of a riotous story of intrigue, adventure, comedy and ideas. set in a world in which the scientists, philosophers and learned people lived in isolation to outside world. while also delving much into maths and philosophy. Sounds boring but the author throws in some martial arts action, sociology, a few love stories, science fiction goodness of space travel and mystery. The author himself said that his inspiration was the long now foundation which aims to promote thinking in long terms as in in terms of century or in time-frames of millennium, this accounts for the grandeur of the setting of this book; Ancient metropolis buried under the slow march of glaciers, a train that goes over the polar region. Ancient religions that seems silly. A history, a culture.
While ZaTAoMM tells of it’s author search for a philosophy of value, the question of what is Quality while telling you the story of a father son trip on a motorcycle across America. It’s philosophy seems a bit weak in the face of reason though but that is what the author argues, that reason isn’t much of a deal. The audacity of saying that the basis of western thought is corrupted by the works of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. The author pleads the case for humanity to return to the pursuit of ereté (excellence). all while telling you that the narrator actually goes mad while thinking of this matter. One suspects that the narrator is actually a recovering manic depressive on his down cycle missing his manic past but I think that is just because I saw Stephen Fry’s excellent documentary on manic depression.
Delving into these two you cannot but connect the ideas laced in them.
Next I’m reading The Algebraist by Iain M Banks, I’ve read it before so I know I’m in for a ride that spans millions of years…
