Hi Kevin and All:
For those who weren't with us when the Lila Squad began it may come as
somewhat of a surprise to learn that Diana, who started the LS,
challenged the group early on to delineate the principles of the MOQ. For
several months that's all we talked about. I think Diana felt (similar to
Kevin) that before discussing specific cases it might be well to reach
some agreement on general MOQ principles.
For awhile the principles Diana culled from our discussions appeared in
summary form on the Lila Squad Web site. But they no longer appear
there, perhaps because their high country abstractness scared off too
many potential LS recruits.
Whether you agree with Kevin or not that we should “wholly focus on
perfecting its general principles," any discussion involving the MOQ
cannot be harmed by elucidating what we believe those principles to be.
With that in mind, I submit for your consideration a basic set of 13 MOQ
principles as I see them. For those wishing a more thorough treatment of
the subject, please read Anthony McWatt's wonderful essay in the Forum
on the MOQ Web site.
Principles of the Metaphysics of Quality
1. The Quality Principle.
Quality is simultaneously an immanent and transcendent moral force. It
created and gave purpose to our world, motivated by the ethical principle
of the "Good" which is its essence. Quality is synonymous with “morality”
and "value.” Thus, the world is primarily a moral order, consisting not of
subjects (mental things) and objects (material things) but patterns of value.
2. The Awareness Principle.
The essence of quality is known to us as awareness without
content—pure, unpatterned experience. As such, it's impossible to
describe. Whenever we try, we end up describing what we are aware of,
not awareness itself.
3. The Dynamic/Static Principle.
To explain the inexplicable, the Metaphysics of Quality divides quality into
two parts, Dynamic and Static. Dynamic Quality is the moral imperative
to create; Static Quality is the moral imperative to survive.
4. The Levels Principle.
Quality became manifest in our world by an evolutionary sequence of
Dynamic Quality Events. Left in the wake of these events were four static
levels of evolution—inorganic, biological, social and intellectual. Each
level is a static pattern of Quality, organized and governed by its own
unique moral laws—the laws of physics, biology, culture and reason
respectively.
5. The Awareness Hierarchy Principle.
Each higher level evolved from and included the lower but expanded
awareness. For example, the intellectual level can apprehend
mathematical patterns that the lower levels cannot. Also, all levels
possess, in addition to environmental awareness, an awareness of
values. Even a lowly virus knows what's good for it.
6. The Moral Hierarchy Principle.
Because higher levels are more aware, they are more moral than levels
below. Intellectual patterns take moral precedence over social patterns,
social patterns over biological and biological patterns over inorganic.
7. The First Dominance Principle.
Because a lower level is largely unaware of levels above it, it considers
itself to be the most moral and strives to dominate other levels. What is
moral and lawful at one level is often immoral and unlawful at another. For
example, biological laws defy the laws of physics.
8. The Second Dominance Principle.
Static patterns within levels that humans identify as entities are
possessed by varying degrees of Quality depending on their affinity to
the next higher or lower level. They often try to devour other patterns to
enhance their own survival. This causes suffering, the negative face of
Quality that drives the creative process.
9. The Dependency Principle.
When a higher level attempts to assert its moral dominance over a lower
level, it must be careful that it does not endanger the stability of the lower
level on which it ultimately depends for survival. For example, if the
intellect in its quest for freedom from social inhibitions causes social
instability, intellect will suffer.
10. The Individual Principle.
At the present stage of moral evolution, only living beings can respond to
Dynamic Quality. Humans, composites of all four levels, are the most
capable of responding. However, responses to and evaluations of Quality
vary by individual because each has a different static pattern of life
history.
11. The Truth Principle.
Truth, an intellectual value pattern, is a species of Good. There's no
single, exclusive truth, but those of high quality are empirical, logical,
elegant and brief. In any case, it's immoral for truth to be subordinated to
social values.
12. The Freedom Principle. To create ever higher levels of awareness,
Dynamic Quality strives for freedom from all static patterns. Freedom is
the core value and highest Good in the Metaphysics of Quality. Thus, the
best social and intellectual patterns are those that promote freedom
consistent with maintaining the static patterns necessary for survival.
13. The Proof Principle.
That reality is morality strikes most people as loony. But in denying that
the world is a moral order they have to employ moral judgment. They
cannot refute that Quality is reality without asserting a value. And they will
have to concede that it’s impossible to live without assumptions of what is
Good. For life requires action, action presupposes choice, choice
presupposes purpose and purpose presupposes values.
Platt
MOQ Homepage - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
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