From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Mon Jun 30 2003 - 13:42:22 BST
Hi Sam,
Platt
> > I follow Pirsig's line that the social level applies only to humans, not
> > animals. I also follow his line that intellectual patterns were present
> > at the beginning of the social level and in fact were necessary for the
> > social level to survive. So I agree that the social level first separated
> > us from the animals. Symbol-making is the Rosetta stone for identifying
> > humans and the primary requirement for the emergence of levels three and
> > four.
> and
> > Humanity without intellect is a bunch of monkeys. The ability to collect
> > and manipulate symbols that stand for patterns of experience (Pirsig's
> > definition of intellect) distinguishs man from ape, plus a few genes.
> Is it your view, then, that levels 3 and 4 evolved simultaneously (ie as
> soon as there was subjective awareness, or whatever it is that Pirsig uses
> to describe the difference between levels 1/2 and levels 3/4)?
Yes. Without mind there is no society as Pirsig defines society and mind.
> So there was
> never a significant period of time when there were only level 3 values?
Right. The distinction is a matter of dominance. The social level was
dominated by mythical thinking (as it still is in parts of the world
today.) The intellectual level is dominated by rational thinking which, in
turn, is dominated by the S/O intellectual pattern which dismisses values
as irrational. The MoQ, by contrast, posits values as objective fact . . .
the primary fact of experience to be precise, prior to all divisions that
symbol-dependent intellect requires.
If you agree that a human society requires a culture to exist, i.e., a
common language and world outlook, then the following quote from Pirsig
backs my view that society and intellect arose simultaneously.
"For precision I think I would say that a culture contains social and
intellectual values, but not biological or inorganic." Note 28, Lila's
Child
If you add the following and I think the evidence is clear:
"The intellect's evolutionary purpose has never been to discover an
ultimate meaning of the universe. That Is a relatively recent fad. Its
historical purpose has been to help a society find food, detect danger,
and defeat enemies." (24)
All necessary for the social level to become viable.
But, I could be wrong.
Platt
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