Marsha --
> When Ham references value & quality in the MOQ sense, > it's the _manifested_ aspect of their meaning. Manifested in the > sense that it the static or at the intersection between the static > and dynamic, the experienced. What is ignored is Quality in > the unmanifested sense. You bet'cha value is manifested. What do you consider "unmanifested value" to be? [Marsha, previously]: > And how could you ever know anything about the totality of > human existence when you are so deeply embedded in it yourself? It seems to me that you have answered your own question, Marsha. Anthropologists, historians and sociologists talk about "mankind" in the collective sense because they study human beings and their social behavior objectively, from an evolutionary perspective. But the characterization "totality" doesn't add any weight to what man is inherently. From a metaphysical perspective, a million humans are no more significant that a single human. Life for each of us is objectively the same experience. It serves the same purpose, observes the same universe, and begins and ends in the same way. What makes man unique among creatures is not his biological organism or behavioral habits, but his proprietary awareness. This is a sense of value by which he creates an orderly, meaningful world and adapts it to his needs. By his capacity to act on the values he chooses, he is able to change the world for better or worse, overstepping the bounds of biological instinct and using the laws and principles of nature to his own advantage. An individual human being is the free agent of his world. By the "weakest link" analogy, the "totality of man" can be no more "real", powerful, or metaphysically significant than its unitary agency. As an artist, Marsha, you use your creativity to represent all of the above on canvas. Can you envision an ape or a cat painting pictures to express its valuistic impressions of reality? Conversely, can you imagine an individual ape or cat deciding to live a different "life style" than nature intended for him? Think about it on your long walk. Regards, Ham Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
