From: Valuemetaphysics@aol.com
Date: Thu Mar 24 2005 - 14:49:10 GMT
Hi All,
A brief speculation.
If the sense of value is the primary sense, from which the static patterns
of the traditional five senses are derived (the biological level);
and
If emotions don't fit neatly into the four static patterns, and therefore
cannot be simply equated with the biological level;
Mark 24-03-05: Emotions are biological patterns.
Textual support for this being the MoQ position has been presented Sam.
and If emotions are essential to decision making (ie the discernment of value)
Mark 24-03-05: The discernment of value is a tension between biological,
social and intellectual values.
If one is dominated by biological patterns then one's value discernment is
within that realm of preferences.
If one is dominated by social patterns then one's value discernment is
within that realm of preferences.
If one is dominated by a balance between biological and social patterns then
one's value discernment is a cohesive realm of preferences.
If one is dominated by intellectual patterns then one's value discernment is
within that realm of preferences.
If one is dominated by a balance between biological, social and intellectual
patterns then one's value discernment is a more expansive cohesive realm of
preferences.
The MoQ places emotion at the biological level.
Decisions, that is, value discernment, is not confined to the biological level.
That the biological level is and has been dominant throughout Human history
is a comment upon our status as evolved patterns of values.
Is there not a large amount of overlap, if not equivalence, between the
'sense of value' and our emotional reaction to something?
Mark 24-03-05: Biological patterns (including emotions) are ancient. It
should not be surprising therefore that they impinge the way they do.
It should also be unsurprising that a good life has been equated with
biological pleasure.
In other words, are not emotions, as we experience them, simply the major
way in which we describe Quality?
Mark 24-03-05: Simply, no. This is tantamount to emotivism, and is dealt
with in Anthony McWatt's PhD thesis.
Emotivism is problematic in that emotions can vary according to situation, person or
circumstance yet for values such as justice to be realised, a certain consistency in
moral judgements is required. Even with the public approval of certain policies
(in a number of countries) such as capital punishment or torture there is doubt
that such subjectivist policies are ultimately good. Moreover, in the comparison of
cultures, it can be argued that a number of ideas are objectively better than others. For
example, it's highly doubtful that the scientific ideas of a medieval culture would
be as effective as contemporary ones in achieving a moon landing. As the particle
physicist John Polkinghorne (1996, p.108) notes as regardswhat our Western
cultural relativists do when they are illE28099. Is it a concern of just cultural
difference whether they consult a witch doctor or a medical doctor?
I think not.
(McWatt PhD thesis December 2004 P. 66)
And that the refinement of our emotional nature (which the western tradition, stoicism to
Christianity etc, has always insisted as the essence of the good life) is in fact the Tao of
Quality?
Sam
Mark 24-03-05: The language through which these patterns are transmitted is
learned by imitation, and that makes them social patterns. Thus we have to
accommodate learned patterns of imitation in a good life for those who value
learning. Beyond that we have intellectual patterns of symbolic manipulation to
account for also. It's 2005 Sam.
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