Re: MD MOQ and The Problem Of Evil

From: David Morey (us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Tue Aug 17 2004 - 18:56:00 BST

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    Hi Ham

    Happy to say that god is the ultimate category
    of the possible. But why is either absolute' or 'essence'
    good words for this? 'Absolute' is OKish but is
    tainted with connections to the idea of a god of
    law, 'essence' seems/sounds too much like
    something you get when you have boiled something
    down to a reduction.

    regards
    David M

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: <hampday@earthlink.net>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 7:19 AM
    Subject: Re: MD MOQ and The Problem Of Evil

    >
    > From Ham in response to "msh", Monday, August 16
    > Subject: Re: MD MOQ and The Problem Of Evil
    >
    >
    > msh wrote to us all:
    > >
    > > Here's another attempt at a MOQ formulation of the Problem Of Evil,
    > > (or The Problem of Immorality) with thanks to Mel for clarification:
    > >
    > > (P1) QUALITY is Moral Perfection
    > > (P2) QUALITY contains DQ and SQ
    > > (P3) SQ attempts to dominate DQ
    > > (P4) Such attempts are immoral
    > >
    > > Therefore, Moral Perfection contains immorality.
    > >
    > > Any thoughts? Complaints? Accusations?
    > >
    > >
    > I'm still waiting for you to resolve the nature of Quality for me, Mark.
    >
    > In the meantime, as a lay student of MOQ, I'd like to introduce some fresh
    > air from the "outside" to what you folks regard as the "problem" of Evil.
    > Evil is a problem for you for the same reason that it troubles the theists
    > who are unable to explain why their "perfect" God would allow evil to
    exist
    > in the world. The parallel is more than coincidental; for you are both
    > concerned with the same thing -- a transcendent essence. I've maintained
    > all along that Pirsig's Quality is none other than the Creator, which you
    > will of course deny; although your current debate only affirms it. What
    > lesser entity could be the object of such moral perplexity?
    >
    > In the polarized world of existence, reality presents us with conditional
    > values that are sensed as good and bad -- health and sickness, beauty and
    > ugliness, birth and death, love and hostility, peace and violence. Man
    > views the undesirable aspects of his experience as "bad", and when they
    > appear in human behavior he censures them. The result is the development
    of
    > a moral system that ensures the survival of human culture.
    >
    > The fact that we confront this valuistic schism can be explained as a
    > function of the relativity of Nature. But I prefer to see it
    > teleologically, as providing the range of choices needed for the exercise
    of
    > individual freedom. Consider the alternative: if man's existence was
    "good"
    > in every respect, there would be no evil, but there would also be no free
    > choice. I've said before that Freedom is a "divine gift" to man; but it
    is
    > also man's responsibility to make the "right" choices within a moral
    > framework of his own making (i.e., without the intercession of a
    divinity).
    > Now, unless this teleological scheme occurred simply as an "accident of
    > Nature", there must be an antecedant cause. Where do you suppose this
    > "gift" of Freedom comes from?
    >
    > "Good and evil" certainly express the Quality and Value(s) of life; but,
    > however they may be defined, neither term qualifies to connote the Creator
    > of existence. Only an entity that transcends difference -- including the
    > subject/object (awareness/being) dichotomy -- can be given this
    metaphysical
    > distinction. Throw away your "Ps & Qs", gentlemen. The solution you are
    > seeking is Absolute Essence.
    >
    > Essentially yours,
    > Ham
    >
    >
    > > InfoPro Consulting - The Professional Information Processors
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    > >
    > >
    > > "Thought is only a flash between two long nights, but this flash is
    > > everything." -- Henri Poincare'
    > >
    > >
    > >
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