Dear Rod,
I don't think I skirted your 18/8 23:27 +0100 question "How does our
subconscious react to quality?".
I simply refuse to think of 'my subconscious (mind)' and 'my conscious
(mind)' as separate parts of 'me'. The way in which you phrase your
questions (now, 19/8 19:39 +0100, you add 'which is the dominant of the
two?') makes 'subconsciousness' and 'consciousness' into independent or at
least separable 'subjects'.
Neither 'subconsciousness and consciousness are effected equally by quality
experience' nor 'one of the two dominates in aiding us to react to quality
experience' is a meaningful statement in my version of the MoQ (and I think
in Pirsig's version, but I am tired of discussing orthodoxy).
'I' experiences quality both subconsciously and consciously and behaves/acts
accordingly, expressing and being part of social and intellectual patterns
of values. I tend to associate subconscious with social and conscious
experience and behavior with intellectual patterns of values. (I think all
experience of social value is subconscious, unless reflected in intellectual
value, and all intellectual value is conscious. I doubt whether we say it
the other way round: everything subconscious is not necessarily social.)
Most of what 'I' does is not consciously motivated. It is 'determined' (as
long as 'I' doesn't make it conscious) by habitual patterns and social
roles. (I am not talking about the biological processes in my body.) In that
sense subconscious quality experience and behavior is dominant.
Some kinds of quality (intellectual quality, DQ) cannot be experienced
subconsciously however.
The 'hot stove example' doesn't say anything at all about the relative
importance of subconscious and conscious quality experience: it's just a
biological reflex.
You wrote:
'Surely this goes to the very heart of who/what we are! Why are we aware at
all?'
We are both conscious and subconscious. We are aware (= part of intellectual
patterns of values) because intellectual patterns of values increase the
stability and versatility of some social patterns of values that favor
awareness AND because the experience of intellectual value is somehow in
itself 'worth the while of paying attention' (the development of
intellectual patterns of values having gone 'off on purposes of its own' in
Pirsig's words from chapter 12 of 'Lila').
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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