MF'ers
Rick's claim:
> Without RMP's encyclopedia of levels, the MoQ is essentially a guessing game.
Pirsig is clear that this in not a "NEW" encyclopedia, rather it is:
"Static Quality is the class of stable or accepted values, patterns, laws, customs, and theories
that societies have formalized and that change little over time. " Lila-pp 58 "
"This classification of patterns is not very original,.." Lila-pp 149
" A conventional subject-object metaphysics uses the same four static patterns as the Metaphysics o
f
Quality Lila"....-pp 153.
So where we need to look is to existing subject/object, mind/matter, and all the similar existing
splits using them to start the ordering process. Why not? The majority of all our knowledge is
already arranged that way. The following twelve step program is not original (mine) either , but
maybe my intrepretation will help others to a better way of understanding the level thing. (For
those who know the source of it just bear with me I many say something useful later on) First take
a
sheet of paper and divide it in the center horizonally and vertically and label it like the diagram
below except leave out the 1 to 12 notes. (For you engineering and science types it should be graph
paper and for the anal retentives remember, because it has an eraser " the pencil is mighter that
the pen" )
Internal External
Subjects | Objects
Mind Matter
12 12
to to
Individual 1 1
_________________________B. B._____________________________________
1 1
Group
to to
12 | 12
You should end up with four quandrants in which to chart the evolution of four types of values,
qualities, or patterns of value. ( Upper Left=Individual Subjective) (Lower Left=Group Subjective)
(Upper Right=Individual Objective) & (Lower Right=Group Objective). Since this is an evolutionary
chart the BB in the Center represents the Big Bang and the further away from this center an event
happened, in any quandrant, the closer to the present it occured.
Draw a diagonal line in the upper right hand quandrant (Individual Objective) from BB to
Object/Matter with and arrow point toward OM and divide the line into 12 equal divisions. This lin
e
represents the materialist view of evolution. Now pull out your favorite book on the materialist
view and label the twelve divisions with earliest event at 1 most recent at 12. Here are a couple o
f
hierachical list for practice.
1-The Origins of Matter
2-Neutrious uncouple from Matter
3-Formation of Atoms
4-Photons uncouple from Matter
5-First Stars
6-Formation of Galaxies
7-Great Wall of Galaxies
8-Formation of Solar System
9-Life on Earth Emerges
10-Plants and Animals
11-Human Beings
12-Present
1-Atoms
2-Molecules
3-Prokayotes
4-Eukaryotes
5-Neuronal Organisms
6-Neural Cord
7-Reptilian Brain Stem
8-Limbic System
9-Neocortex (Triune Brain)
10-Complex Neocortex
11-SF1
12-SF-2
Your favorite may only have five jumps or 20 doesn't matter just spread them out or squeeze them,
keeping them in emergent order picking what you think are the most important. Or put these two and
your favorite as separate lines all radiating in this quadrant. The more the merrier.
Don't bother to evaluate these lists. It doesn't matter the only thing that matters is that they ar
e
in this general order and that they are or have been a "stable or accepted" class "of values that
societies have formalized."
After you're done with that pull out your favorite medical or psychology textbook(s) and move to th
e
upper left and layout the interal/indivdual/subjective development of the mind vector. But as you
do it refer to your first line and try to correlate the emergence relative on a number by number
basis to your material line: Practice scheme:
1 Prehension
2-
3-Irrritability
4-
5- Sensation
6-Perception
7-Impulse
8-Emotion
9-Symbols
10-Concepts
11-ConOp
12-FormOp
Then move on to the other quandrants and using the same method until you have at least one "12 step
"
vector in each quadrant. By now those of you familar with Ken Wilbur will have realized that this
is his diagram as presented in "A Brief History of Everything". If you have a copy you can turn to
the diagram and not have to reconstruct it. But for those who don't here are his steps for the lowe
r
left and then lower right quandrants.
LL
1-Physical
2-Pleomatic
3-Protoplasmic
4-Vegatative
5-
6-Locomotive
7-Uroboric
8-Typhonic
9-Archaic
10-Magic
11-Mythic
12-Rational
LR
1-Galaxies
2-Planets
3-Gaia Systems
4-Heterotrophic Ecosystems
5-Societies with Divisions of Labor
6-
7-Group/Families
8-
9-Tribes
10-Tribal Village
11-Early State/Empire
12- Nation State
Now to intergrate the MoQ levels into this diagram starting with the inorganic level. Move along
the Upper Right vector to where you think the division between inorganic and organic lies and make
a
dot. My guess is somewhere between 2 Molecules and 3 Prokaryotes. Move to the UL quandrant asking
the same question and so on for all the vectors, in all the quadrants. Now if you connect all the
dots you will have defined roughly a circular blob, a region, somewhere between 2 and 3 on all the
vectors around the center. This is the bounds of the inorganic level. Go on and do this for all th
e
other levels and you will have a series of concentric blobs ranging from inorganic closest to the
center to intellectual at the perimeter. Now get out your crayolas and color each region a differen
t
color.(Stay between the lines!)
We can and will argue exactly where along each vector the divisions occurs, we may not agree in
particular on the labels of the vectors, or their exact order, or quadrant location, but we have a
tool that allows us to relate any existing subject and object hierarchies ordered in this manner
into four broad subject and object catagories and then start to relate it to the MoQ levels.
And then start we might be able to intelligently discuss the moral implications of these relationsh
ips.
Sorry this is so long. If only we had the capacity for graphics within this forum?
3WD
PS: For a fun exercise take a broad subject or object catagory in an area that you are familar and
interested in and try to create a vector or vectors for it from BB to present. I'm working on
"Dwelling" .
Hints:
1. Don't try to fit it into a quadrant right away just do the "what comes first" exercise in list
form.
2. You may find that one word may generate a vector in more that one quadrant and terms first
thought to be on one vector in a particular quadrant actually need to be moved to another.
3. Work in either direction which ever is easier. And even it doesn't seem logical to go all the wa
y
back to BB do it anyway just leave a gap on the list until it seems reasonable that it emerged
around this time. For example the object "automobile" would emerge way out at 11 or 12 but it maybe
on a "movement" vector that has been around forever.
------- End of forwarded message -------
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