Jonathan B. Marder (marder@agri.huji.ac.il)
Thu, 10 Sep 1998 16:31:56 +0100
Hi Horse, Diana, Squad,
JONATHAN:
>> What it comes down to is that the concept of "purpose" is an enormous
>> SOM platypus.
HORSE:
>Hallelujah! It was while pondering the question of PURPOSE (and
>it's brother MEANING) that I experienced the Quality revelation.
>
I think that Diana gets full credit for noticing this about free will:
DIANA wrote:-
>The very notion of free will is inseparable from the notion of subjects
>and objects. To even speak of it is to show that you've swallowed the
>subject-object metaphysics whole.
Never mind the FREE will, the WILL itself is the platypus.
HORSE:
>This is where so many of the [SOM] Value theorists have so much
>trouble. If we have only SOM purpose then our value is merely in
>terms of the use we have to others. Similarly, purpose is highly
>'subjective' and transitory. How demeaning! ...
What about the existentialists? Their whole movement is a product of the
purpose platypus.
On the one hand, our existence has no "objective" purpose, on the other,
our emotions refuse to accept this.
On another tack, I note that Western religion assumes that every single
thing has a purpose (the will of God) - purpose is existence itself.
Science ignores the purpose and looks for mechanism. I was just going to
use the word CAUSE, but that word is rendered ambiguous by SOM.
Objective science means a "dispassionate" approach. But this is a myth;
scientists pursue their work with utmost passion. It is a mission, a
purpose. If the research has no purpose, it has no value and is not
worth doing.
There's a passage in ZAMM where Phaedrus is climbing a mountain with
Chris, and he talks about "ego" climbing. He doesn't like to see Chris
as an ego climber - whose sole purpose is to impress others. He'd rather
see Chris climbing with a more spiritual purpose - for the good of his
own "soul".
(My interpretation). Purpose is all tangled up with value, quality and
morality. That's why its a platypus.
Jonathan
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