Dear Roger,
Your postings of 9/3 15:54 -0500, 9/3 16:08 -0500 and 9/3 16:15 -0500 threw
me somewhat off balance. Please forgive me if I am a little harsh on you
while trying to regain my balance.
Why do you change your name from Rog(er) to Risky? I don't understand why
people use fantasy names like 'Risky', 'KillerBlade' or 'Squonk' and/or
change their name in e-mails. I don't see the fun of it. It only raises
doubts with me whether they share the intellectual values that for me are
essential in communication: (wishing to be) consistent, coherent and
upright, whether they want to be 'true to themselves'.
I had concluded from your almost unqualified agreement of 10/2
16:13:38 -0500 with the main parts of my 9/2 19:56 +0100 posting that I
safely could go on from where I ended 9/2 19:56 +0100.
When I formulated as (first) questions
'1a By what method should we define the path toward DQ?
1b What path toward DQ follows from applying that method?'
you
'found no disagreement with [me] on this matter yet'.
You replied with 'Well said' and 'Okey dokey smokey' to my first formulation
of the first stage of my method to define the path of a society toward DQ:
'How then to choose between alternative intellectual patterns of
values in order to chose the best one to use as a reference for
harmonization of social patterns of values?
An intellectual pattern of values migrates toward Dynamic Quality
by balanced maximization of stability and versatility plus
harmonization with ... Dynamic Quality itself (for lack of higher
level patterns of values).
- Maximizing its stability implies enlarging the set of 'common
denominator' ideas that are difficult to dispute.
- Maximizing its versatility implies leaving or creating enough
'room for dispute', a large enough range of alternative sets of
ideas that can be combined with the 'common denominator' ideas,
to stimulate creativity, but not too much 'room for dispute' to
make every 'truth' seem arbitrary and relative and consensus
apparently beyond reach.
- The balance can be experienced as absolute Dynamic Quality.
...
I propose to indicate ("point to") the higher level value beyond
truth as "Meaning", capitalizing it to distinguish it from the
"meaning" of a "text" in a certain "context" which defines its
"truth", the "fit" of that "text" with "reality". If we
experience harmony with DQ in a work of art of in a religious
experience, we say "it is Meaningful" without being able to
define a "truth" that explains that experience of "Meaning". This
culminates in the experience that there must be a "Meaning of
life" or "... of my life" even if no amount of science can tell
me where life is eventually heading for or originally originating
from and "Who" could have given life that "Meaning".'
The formulation which you now object to (and which you 10/2 16:13:38 -0500
commented on with a cautious 'Hmmm. I guess so...') was only meant as a
summary of those two passages which you rather explicitly agreed with:
'Choose from the available intellectual patterns of values the
one that is most Meaningful. That requires religious experience
and/or aesthetic judgement.
...
You will choose the intellectual pattern of values that has the
"right" balance between stability and versatility, between the
size of its "indisputable" core and its "room for dispute".'
What was wrong with my summary?
You wrote 9/3 15:54 -0500:
'Now that you clarify I think I would draw exceptions.'
But I DIDN'T (mean to) CLARIFY 5/3 9:46 +0100 my answer to '1a By what
method should we define the path toward DQ?'. I just copied the summary of
my answer from my 9/2 19:56 +0100 posting and proposed a minor amendment.
My 5/3 9:46 +0100 posting was devoted to the next question: '1b What path
toward DQ follows from applying that method?'
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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