RISKY'S DAWN OF THE 5TH LEVEL
Which way is closer to the sunrise? That is the answer to the 5th level.
THE LANDSCAPE-- THE FIRST 4 LEVELS AND TRUTH
Before progressing on to the 5th, we need to again go back to the
fundamentals of the first four. The MOQ evaluates based foremost on quality,
not on truth. Truth is an important subset of quality, defined as
consistency. But within the MOQ, there can be many locally consistent
beliefs...Many Truths.
One Truth of the MOQ is that there are four levels that contain every static
pattern. Pirsig compares these levels to an encyclopedia that can contain
everything. The comparison is telling. Just as we could have encyclopedias
in various languages...each would contain the same basic facts, but the
sorting or ordering would vary based on the local spelling.
Such an encyclopedia would be a true and accurate system to sort every
conceptual pattern. But there are higher quality divisions. The highest
quality division Pirsig discovered/created was
inorganic/biological/social/intellectual. These divisions, combined with DQ,
delineated clear and informative directional changes in values, and their
interaction explains reality in ways that clears up unexplainable phenomenon
from prior sorting systems (platypi).
But to be consistent within the MOQ, I believe we must recognize that there
likely are higher quality divisions, or at least that as reality continues to
evolve that the MOQ will need to evolve with it. And as Pirsig himself
states in his response to Doug Renselle's inquiry of whether the MOQ values
its own extension, such an extension eventually will evolve to another theory
of another name -- to be judged by its quality.
THE HORIZON -- THE 5th LEVEL
Identifying a 5th level is similarly a deviation from the MOQ, and the
process should be evaluated upon its quality. (In fact that is what Doug was
recommending to RMP.....the addition of extra levels). But I agree with most
MF'ers that this is a high quality endeaver.
With that said, let me jump out there and state that I am firmly in the camp
that believes the most likely candidate for a new level is in "consciousness".
One could look at the first four levels as increasing levels of
awareness/consciousness. From attraction to desire to compassion to truth.
As the new values and patterns of consciousness emerge, we can name them and
sort them. That which was unknown and undefinable becomes conceptually
defined. I believe that there are higher forms of consciousness that can be
named and sorted today. In fact, these patterns are today NOT included in
the MOQ's existing four levels.
One such attempt at sorting reality based on consciousness has been done by
Ken Wilber. He has sorted it into 9 levels, and a 10th division which is
beyond division. He calls it "9 divisions and the paper the 9 are drawn on."
Interestingly, Wilber references his final 4 consciousnesses as mystical.
Looping back to Pirsig, note how little mention of "consciousness" occurs in
Lila. Why is that? I believe it is because consciousness is so intractably
intermingled with DQ. I am not saying DQ is consciousness, because
consciousness defined is sq, not DQ, but I think you can see my point.
Let me approach the issue from a different angle -- where does
'consciousness' fall in the 4 levels that contain everything? In the
biological? The social? The intellectual? In some ways you can see that it
lies within all of them, but it also has distinctive aspects that transcend
them all. This is exactly what I would expect to see in a 5th level.
THE CANVAS OF REPRODUCTION
One other thing that Wilber wrote keeps emerging into my consciousness. He
states that consciousness differs from other patterns in that it cannot be
easily reproduced, copied or transmitted. I seem to remember Susan Blackmore
of memetic theory writing something similar as well. As such, consciousness
is immanently personal. Everbody must discover/create the path anew. Some
trails have been marked, but they are rocky, winding, unpaved and based upon
a weathered mythos long since past.
What higher consciousness lacks is a copying and transmission system.
Biology has DNA and behavioral modeling (nature and nurture), Society has
language and shared culture, and the intellect has writing and printing and
data transmission. But higher consciousness?
I believe that if higher levels of consciousness are to emerge as levels, as
consistent objective patterns, that there must be ways to transmit and
recreate these experiences. My guess is that virtual reality machines may
someday be able to do just this. But this is a guess. (Read David Deutsch's
"Fabric of Reality" if you want any more explanation on how virtual reality
could possibly be wired directly into our experience.)
DAYBREAK
I believe that the 5th level will emerge out of DQ as a consistent pattern of
experience. This is consistent with my understanding of the origin of the
other levels as well. Today, higher consciousness -- mystical experience --
is virtually synonymous with DQ. From our vantage they are almost one and
the same. However, if we could objectively share and reproduce these
experiences, we could begin to objectively label and sort them into a new
level. This new level will have common values that will impinge and redirect
some of the prior level values. Again this is consistent with the other four.
But then again......
Risky
PS -- This morning I was outside on our deck watching the sun rise. When I
came in my wife mentioned that she had watched it too, but from bed. My
retort was jokingly that "Well I was closer to it." This got my mind
spinning like James' incident with the squirrel. Which direction is closer
to the sunrise? Can you ever get closer?
MOQ.org - http://www.moq.org
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