From: skutvik@online.no
Date: Sun Nov 20 2005 - 15:34:42 GMT
Hi Platt
Your post was a relief from being chased up and down the MD
main street by our village idiot ;-)
18 Nov. you wrote:
> It's been awhile coming, but Bo has brought us to the crux of the
> matter-- naturalism vs.spiritualism. Although Pirsig vehemently denies
> any connection between his metaphysics and the divine, the creative
> power of DQ--an indefinable, mysterious force -- resides at the heart
> of the MOQ.
The naturalism vs spiritualism controversy is just one of the many
platypi that emerged from SOM (intellect before it became a
static level). Pirsig suggests that the MOQ ends them all - yes,
we certainly agree here.
> In an earlier post, Bo referred again to what I and Arlo long ago
> agreed to in spite of of our political differences, namely, that
> philosophy is about revealing underlying premises. As if on cue, Bo
> opined that the subject/object premise delineates the intellectual
> level, that "gods behind everything" premise defines the social level.
> Following Bo's focus, one sees that the other Quality levels are
> framed by other, distinct premises. (Inorganic level -- particles,
> biological level -- DNA) Standing above all levels is the premise of
> an indefinable "Quality"
Quite a coincidence that I "heard" the cue. One comment though:
The MOQ premises aren't all indefinable, its the very level
system. I call it the Quality Reality above/beyond its own
intellectual level. What is a metaphysics if not a meta-reality?
> A closer examination of the premises of the lower levels reveals their
> utter inability to show cause for emergence of the higher ones. For
> instance, at the inorganic level the hidden premise is from nothing
> arises everything. At the biological level the buried premise is
> non-life produces life. Other sequestered premises at these
> "naturalistic" (scientific) levels are: from randomness comes
> fine-tuning, from chaos emerges information, from unconciousness
> appears consciousness, from no- reason springs reason. In other words,
> one damn miracle after another!
Total agreement!
> Once you admit to some mysterious force pulling rabbits out of hats,
> you're into the realm of the spiritual no matter what you call it --
> DQ, elan vital, prana, psychism, God -- whatever. And once your into
> that realm, you're into discovering who you are because, as Bo pointed
> out, "Pirsig used something more than intellect or - better -
> something more used Pirsig."
I guess we agree, only that "spiritual" can't well be added to the
list of grand concepts that makes for MOQ-like metaphysics
("Beauty" a shining example) because it evokes its "corporeal"
counterpart.
> I believe that "something more" is using us now, drawing us -- often
> in spite of stubborn static selves and our load of cliche cultural
> garbage -- toward betterness. For me, Beauty -- another facet of the
> divine -- illuminates the way.
Exactly "beauty" is another facet of Quality.
Bo
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