Hey all,
I've been following this thread and so far, I think it's crystal clear that
Pirsig believes that humans are the only species *has* achieved social
patterning. But what I haven't seen yet is a quote that dispositively
indicates whether he believes that humans are the only species that *can*
achieve social patterning.
PLATT (quoting RMP)
My only point was Pirsig has answered those who want to expand the
> social level to include cells, ants and dolphins and said, "No. That is
> not what I mean by the social level in the MOQ."
PIRSIG
" In the MOQ all organisms are objective. The exist in the
> material world. All societies are subjective. They exist in the mental
> world. Again the distinction is very sharp.
PIRSIG
"This is why it is important not to extend the term "society" beyond the
> dictionary definition: "a group of HUMAN BEINGS broadly distinguished
> from other groups by mutual interests, participation in characteristic
> relationships, shared institutions, and a common culture."
RICK
This last quote is the closest thing to suggesting that MoQ society is
exclusively human. But it's more a call for semantic clarity in the MOQ
taxonomy rather than a metaphysical statement.
It seems to me that all of the quotes that have been brought out on the
topic so far can be read:
(1) as statements of observed fact (ie. of all known species, for whatever
reason, it seems only humans have societies) or
(2) as statements of metaphysical necessity (ie. there is something about
humans that make them, and them alone, uniquely capable of social patterning
that no other species can ever achieve) or
(3) as statements of mere definition (ie. Society = groups of humans. So
even if an advanced race of space-dolphins land on Earth with technology
greater than anything we can ever dream of... they still don't have
societies because they're just not human). This one feels too much like a
technicality for my tastes, so I'd like to believe that Pirsig has something
else in mind.
Can anybody point to anything conclusively indicates that humans, and ONLY
humans (out of every other species in the word, and the universe [?] known
or unknown) are capable of achieving societies???
rick
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