From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sat Nov 19 2005 - 12:39:36 GMT
Matt said::
> The first thing you do is deny the premise that there are discrete levels
> emerging out of each other. You make everything continuous (while still
> reserving the right to notice differences between this bit of nature over
> here and that bit of nature over there). This also has the effect of
> making the distinction between theism and atheism a little suspect.
If you deny the premise of discrete levels each with its own and distinct
moral values you deny the foundation of the MOQ. It is the moral hierarchy
and the resulting conflict between moral levels that gives the MOQ it's
explanatory power. Without discrete levels, the MOQ becomes just another
sermon rooted not in reason but in airy speculation. Which is OK if you
judge the MOQ to be of little value either as an explanation for the way
the world works or as practical moral guide.
> Putting the matter as Platt does, between naturalism and spiritualism,
> isn't a bad way of doing it (not a great way, because I consider myself
> spiritual in some sense, but still). A good way of viewing my project of
> interpretation with Pirsig is as trying to naturalize Pirsig's philosophy
> where I think it strays from naturalism. So much of it _is_ naturalized
> that sometimes people don't understand what I'm doing, or that its
> redundant or superfluous, but....
I agree the MOQ should be "naturalized" as much as possible and IMO it
rarely strays from being grounded in the inorganic and biological planes
of existence EXCEPT to question and then answer the nature of the
causative, creative force that accounts for the development of our world.
Although Pirsig claims that his DQ force is "nature" (See DMB's latest
post), it does not lend itself to measurement and thus falls outside the
purview of natural science. (There are no volts, ohms, watts, amperes or
other measuring units applicable to DQ.) To then attribute DQ to a
spiritual as opposed to natural force seems not too far out of line with
our customary meaning of those terms.
Platt
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