Other modern philosophies are founded on Quality or Value per se. Is the Philosophy of Essence such a belief system?
A. Philosophies that have developed in the postmodern era are typically oriented toward scientific materialism and have certain beliefs in common. These include: the rejection of a primary source (considered “supernatural”); a material basis for reality (considered “scientific”); a humanistic (collectivist) ideology that regards consciousness or “intellect” as a byproduct of material and cultural evolution; and a non-transcendental (nihilistic) view of the universe. While Robert Pirsig’s “Metaphysics of Quality” represents a novel departure from materialism, its moral system is aphoristically defined as “some things are better than others”, its metaphysics is theorized as a hierarchy of values that is incomprehensible to all but its most ardent followers, and the philosophy offers no essential meaning or purpose for man’s existence. Q.
