Over-arching theme for these chapters: narrator has found that quality is very important, at the top of the hierarchy of thought. Trying to reconcile quality with other areas of thought (art, science, religion).
- Chapter 20
o Motorcycle reference- the romantic view of motorcycles is that your motorcycle is working now, the classical view of motorcycles is maintaining your motorcycle to make sure it keeps working in the future. I.e. checking the oil to make sure you have enough oil, you might lose oil by leaking (English vehicles like ours leak oil). Oil might also vaporize in high temperatures, maybe because you have bad rings (you will see blue exhaust).
o The first chart: romantic versus classical quality teaching, discrepancy between what Phaedrus taught and what he should have taught.
o The second chart: moves into romantic (pre-intellectual) and classical (intellectual divided into objective, subjective) reality. Difference between first chart and second chart- quality becomes the top of the hierarchy in the second chart.
o The Tao: quality is synonymous with God, replaces word “tao” with quality, and it helps him make sense of quality. Quality is the origin of all Eastern and Western religion.
o Purpose of chapter: quality as the parent of mind and matter.
- Chapter 21
o Author wants to connect the ideas of art, science, religion.
- Chapter 22
o Talking about the harmonious conception of the universe in science and in facts
o Generalize/simplify things to where you can make predictions
o Discussion of geometry: Euclid and parallel lines which never cross, Cartesian coordinates are an idealization.
o The curvature of space time: think of laser beams in straight lines, when it travels near a massive object, laser will bend around it (general relativity= no difference between gravity and acceleration, aka principle of equivalence).
o The point is that Euclidian geometry is not what astronomers use, there are curvatures and not strange lines. Scientists cherry-pick their facts; they not the truth, but they are a means to comprehend the world, and sometimes they are wrong.
o Romanic quality: a pre-intellectual disposition to certain facts which are seen as more “interesting.”
o Quality is still very important to the sciences.
- Chapter 23
o Dream sequence: narrator in a sarcophagus, can’t talk to Chris. This is the point at which we learn, concretely, that Phaedrus was “killed” by shock therapy, and what is left of Phaedrus is the narrator.
Lab from Tuesday, 4/12/16
- Wheels: put the ball bearing in and then took them out and then put them back in (gumption trap).
- Fasteners: re-assemble and re-install Japanese carburetor on the yellow bike; need to test it out.
- Electrical: got the lamp working, hooked up generator to battery with a larger clip; need to work on the distributor.
- Engine (top): re-assemble the engine head, attach piston, put on cylinder, and adjust valves (used the racing cam, they need to use the stock cam), marks were not lined up on the timing gear; need to take apart and fix it.
- Engine (bottom): working on the case, plug up the engine, putting fasteners back in; need to get John to make sure it’s tight enough.
- Frame: attach the back fender to the frame with the clip assembly and backing plate, cleaned chain adjuster to get ready for the back wheel.
- Fork: putting the fork together, one bush would not fit in the tube (bushel), had to get Al to help trim it down to get it fixed; need to pull it out and fix the bush, then get the forks together.
- Clutch: working on transmission, clutch is ready to go on as soon as the transmission is finished.