From: Patrick van den Berg (cirandar@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Nov 09 2002 - 14:05:19 GMT
Hi all,
I've been on the sidewalk last week or so, read half of the posts and
found some interesting discussions. Through this Metaphysics of Quality
list, I've come to appreciate some things differently, and not in a
negative way it seems. Anyhow, I'd like to share some contemplations on
the quality of Subject-Object Metaphysics. It's sort of odd, but now
that this MoQ (and the writings of Nishida for example) has offered me a
new perspective, I've come to value SOM not only from the outside, but
perhaps even more so from the inside. I think it's because I see that
SOM is not THE way, but A way to come to grips with reality.
Somehow we're split off in some real extent from the rest of reality,
what we call the universe or the world. 'The other' is also a good term,
of which I was reminded in a discussion with a befriended
theology-student: We as individuals are through some act of Grace (or if
you prefer another interpetation of it in a Christian view: through The
Fall out of Paradise) in dialogue with the world, we are 'selfs' that is
in dialogue with 'the other' when we're riding our bicycle, when we're
working behind our computers, when we're talking to other people, etc.
Everything we experience CAN be attributed to either the other (the
Object(s)) or to our selves. The mistake of SOM is its strong
connotation of being the only way to view reality. It can be a beautiful
worldview in some respects: We are part of a clearly analizable,
understandable, and neutral world. We are here through some simple, but
elegant process of natural selection, which is possible through some
dialogue between Determinism and Chance. Our emotions and ways of
thinking, our faults, our curiousity etc. are products of natural
selection. That we now can reflect on nature, including and particularly
ourselves, holds promise that we can shape nature in better ways
(through technology and perhaps genetic engineering). Whether we fail or
succeed, it doesn't really matter, we are just some lucky accident in
the universe, and nothing will change that, no matter what we do. We
should be glad that we can experience, for example, love. It's for free,
or Given by some Chance event.
In such a way as described above, a subject-object metaphysics can be
beautiful. But (at least to me), it has some serious negative aspects.
The most important one, can be described as 'Fear to be all alone'. In
the closed intellectual net of SOM, we're all 'together alone'. Think of
hedonism, a spin-off of SOM: even when we're altruistic, we're really
acting out of desire to feel good about the things we do for others.
Through reasoning like this we're devalueing our selves. We are not
supposed to admit it, but Me myself and I (or "Me me mine") is always
the highest good possible for us in this world. The only thing that's
worthwile is to please ourselves and gather material wealth and all.
That's an utterly depressive worldview.
Robert M. Pirsig, Nishida Kitaro and Danah Zohar (to name the few I'm
acquainted with) point out that our 'I's aren't ultimate, lonely truths
as long as we're alive. Doing things for others don't have to pinned
down to our own selfish desires. The realization that our personality is
not a concrete thing, but a sort of indeterminate potential, just like
the world itself is an indeterminate potential, becomes a valid rational
viewpoint (according to Zohar). I think it's a good thing, just doing
things according to our nature, according to our perception of values,
or our BEING value-patterns, with static and dynamic aspects just as and
end in itself so to say.
Okay, I stop here- I have to go. Thanks for listening, hope I made some
sense. Friendly greetings, Pat.
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