Re: MD Darwinisn in dispute ?

From: David MOREY (us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Mon Sep 15 2003 - 19:56:33 BST

  • Next message: David MOREY: "Re: MD Evolution of levels"

    Hi
    The quote from Pirsig is good, I agree with it
    very much, but I think I would like the Darwinian
    fan club to explain to me how Darwin is compatible
    with teleology? My answer would be that it onlt tells
    a small part of the evolution story, we need to seek
    a new MOW context, unfortunately Darwin sits in a
    SOM context, hence it cannot talk about purpose
    without reducing it to half of the SOM dualism, the
    matter half.

    Regards
    David M

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: <abahn@comcast.net>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 5:54 PM
    Subject: Re: MD Darwinisn in dispute ?

    > Hi Bo,
    >
    > Thanks for the Pirsig quote on Darwinian theory.
    >
    > You said:
    > "The above solution - although valid - will never be understood/accepted
    as your
    > message and a lot of similar inputs up through the years indicate. From
    > Spencer's and Andy's comments it sounds as if Darwin either must be wrong
    or right."
    >
    > Andy:
    > I am just wondering what comments of mine would suggest that Darwin must
    be
    > either right or wrong. My thoughts have always been that Darwinian theory
    is a
    > very useful theory and helps us explain much about our experience. I find
    > Pirsig's thoughts you provided from Lila very illuminating on this. I
    have no
    > quarrel with accepting his solution at all other than his equating
    "fittest" and
    > "quality" with "best" at the beginning of the quote. But, he goes on to
    clear
    > this up with his discussion on "undefined quality", "undefined fitness"
    and
    > "dynamic quality at work." This all works for me.
    >
    > Regards
    > Andy
    >
    > ps (David M.) You see. Pirsig does address Darwinism in Lila. And from
    the
    > quote provided by Bo, it appears he has no quarrels with it at all. :-)
    >
    > > Ian, and all interested parties.
    > >
    > > 14 Sep. you wrote:
    > > > Sorry if this is all cleared-up but I've been away from the forum on
    > > > holiday for almost 2 weeks and have just been catching up today. I saw
    > > > a long debate on the rights and wrongs of Darwinism in there somwhere.
    > > > Surely the facts of Darwinism are clear, whatever groundwork others
    > > > did before Darwin, and however much others have extended its
    > > > understanding since.
    > >
    > > All cleared-up! Sure, haven't you read LILA? But speaking of evolution
    > > vs creation. When this discussion was young we spent a lot of time
    > > talking about the inorganic level because the current cosmological
    > > theory - the Big Bang - is just as controversial as Darwin's is on
    life,
    > > and the MOQ solution the same (even if Pirsig doesn't treat that
    > > issue) as the one below on biology.
    > >
    > > ................ LILA (Chapter 11 page 148) ................
    > > "Survival of the fittest" is meaningful only when "fittest" is equated
    with
    > > "best," which is to say,"Quality." And the Darwinians don't mean just
    > > any old quality, they mean undefined Quality! As Mayr's article makes
    > > clear, they are absolutely certain there is no way to define what that
    > > "fittest" is. Good! The "undefined fittest" they are defending is
    identical
    > > to Dynamic Quality. Natural selection is Dynamic Quality at work.
    > > There is no quarrel whatsoever between the Metaphysics of Quality
    > > and the Darwinian Theory of Evolution. Neither is there a quarrel
    > > between the Metaphysics of Quality and the "teleological" theories
    > > which insist that life has some purpose. What the Metaphysics of
    > > Quality has done is unite these opposed doctrines
    > > within a larger metaphysical structure that accommodates both of
    > > them without contradiction".(end quote)
    > >
    > > .......................................................................
    > >
    > > The above solution - although valid - will never be
    > > understood/accepted as your message and a lot of similar inputs up
    > > through the years indicate. From Spencer's and Andy's comments it
    > > sounds as if Darwin either must be wrong or right.
    > >
    > > Accordingly I have chosen to see the Darwinist vs Creationist - as well
    > > as the Big Bang and other science vs religion disagreements - as part
    > > of the Intellect-Society struggle and we know that these will never be
    > > resolved from their own premises, rather DISSOLVED by the MOQ
    > > which sees this intrinsic level relationship.
    > >
    > > Sincerely
    > > Bo
    > >
    > > PS
    > > You concluded:
    > > > Darwin's undisputed genius was to suggest evolution by natural
    > > > selection, survival by fitness for the environment over many
    > > > generations of the organism, whatever causes the original novelty
    > > > (mutation). It took the work of many to establish speciation
    > > > mechanisms, genetics etc, but the core fact is clear. No ?
    > >
    > > I agree, Darwin's intellectual-objective explanation is a level higher
    > > than the social-mythological one, but the Quality tenet of the higher
    > > level out of the former must be heeded ...here as elsewhere.
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > > MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
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    > >
    >
    >
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