Hi all,
I've tried many times to write a coherent conclusion for this thread. The
only possible conclusion is that there is no agreement about the intellect's
"better".
Last suggestion, from Rog:
> 4th Principle: It is better to understand
> Feedback is welcome.
The two mainstream positions seem to start from two different views on what
intellect is:
a) The "rationals" point to "law" making, understanding, thinking, reason,
science, rationality, objectivity, truth.....
I think the weak point is here that they must build a fifth level (IMO sort
of a platypus) and put there all what is not fitting with this form of
intellect: art, the MOQ, mysticism
b) The "humanists" point to individual rights, self-awareness, ethics,
freedom, creativity
And the weak point here is easily come to the conclusion of a "psychiatric
isolation", where communication becomes impossible, and to a simplistic
"individual vs.society" view.
[Funny enough, this humanist/rational split looks terribly like the
subjective/objective split].
According to Pirsig, the intellectual level is not still stable. It is
"still struggling in its attempt to control society". Victorianism, that
holds the point that intellect should be servant of social morality
(habits), is the "last static ratchet-latch". The main attempts to turn this
point upside down and make intellect lead society have failed. Communism
has been too static and suffocated social dynamism (the market).
Objectivism, lacking of a sense of morality, has been unable to offer a more
moral static latch. "It has never come forth with a single moral principle
that distinguishes a Galileo fighting social repression from a common
criminal fighting social repression". In both cases, intellect has not been
able to increase happiness and quality of life. It seems to me that Pirsig
wants just to say that these two intellectual static latches are dead end
evolutive ways. Intellectual static latches, of course, but not clearly
"more moral" than previous social latches. So, is there a solution? Is it
possible for intellect to lead society? Pirsig offers his analysis but never
says, "well, in order to lead society toward a better Quality, intellect
should be like this..... ". That's why we can more or less concur on the
analysis and then immediately try our own diverse solutions.
I think Pirsig does not offer a clear solution as he himself has not found a
clear solution. Pirsig just says that the Hippies were "the moral movement"
in their attempt to surpass the dead-end social-intellectual conflict of the
XXth century rejecting both, and their conflict. But they have failed too.
Sadly, they could not find any viable solution. They had a right feeling
that this objective intellect is not good, while anyway realizing that going
back to the Victorian stage would be a nonsense. "The reason this movement
has been so hard to understand is that *understanding* itself, static
intellect, was its enemy". You see, according to Pirsig "understanding" is
the "static intellect". Maybe there's a bit of solution hidden here. Just
like socially free market is the social dynamism that should be preserved,
we should take care that the whole intellectual scene is not about
"understanding", that is the "static intellect".
It happens that I fall in the "humanist" group. But not in the sense that
the individual should fight the social level. Just in the sense that even
before any science or truth I think that "Man is the Measure". Science and
truth and rationality and reason are moral only if they are in the service
of Man. The final chapters of Lila are all about the importance of
individuality. The basic role of contrarians. Madness as a solution more
than a problem itself. The Dharmakaya light, El Greco. Dhyana and vacation.
Mysticism. This is the free dynamic intellect that should be preserved. In
my opinion, only this dynamic intellect will find sooner or later a clear
static latch for the intellectual level. Until then, hoping that science,
thought or rationality can by themselves offer a better quality of life is a
chimera. They are surely part of the solution, but not The Solution.
Of course, I could be wrong
That's all, friends.
Thanks to all the participants to this thread.
See you soon
Marco
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