Anthony had spent the better part of 10
years on a thesis aimed at getting a new philosophy, called the Metaphysics
of Quality (MOQ), accepted into academia. And he had finally succeeded. The
MOQ is the brainchild not of an academic, but of writer Robert Pirsig,
who rose to fame with his self-described 'culture-bearing' book,
<u>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</u> (ZMM), in the mid-1970's.
His follow-up, <u>Lila</u> (1991), is less well-known but considered by him
and his fans to be the more important book. It uses the vehicle of fiction
to more thoroughly explain, and even expand upon, his ideas about Quality.
A <A href="http://www.moq.org/">website</A> and email discussion group
were formed in the late 1990's by Pirsig fans to discuss his Metaphysics of
Quality. These are still going strong. Anthony, "Richard", myself, and
many others take or took part in it.