Hi Christoffer
Chris:
> It's true that they don't always need to be in direct conflict, for example
> I'd say that the development of the early-modern state is an example of how
> intellectual and social structures were "working together" and both
> benefited. However, the different levels is, at the core, different ways of
> viewing/manifest quality - right? Your example isn't in conflict with
> anything.
Sure it is. It's in direct conflict with your (and Bo's) claim that
symbols are only social value.
Chris:
> In a way even, we could say that the wolfs reaction to a certain
> scent is the same thing as someone recognizing an arrow symbol. Or, take
> tigers (or whatever) who claw marks into trees, when other tigers see the
> marks they recognize that there is another tiger about who claims the area.
> How is that really different from symbol manipulation? At the base I mean.
That's right, at the base of each level, it's hard to tell what is what.
The higher level must first find something it can use for it's own
purposes, and in this case, the intellectual level found the static
language developed by a society.
Take the development of the spoken word. At first, it was simply
different sounds that triggered a certain feeling in the listeners. A
high pitched "Hoo hoo" means danger, adrenaline starts pumping and
everyone runs for their lives. But when intellect starts interfering, it
used the ability to make sounds and turned it into a dynamic way to
convey meaning. *That's* the crucial difference between social language
and intellectual language. Intellect de-couples the static link between
the social "symbol" and the biological knee-jerk reaction. This feat is
a far more dynamic step than the ability to rationalize about the S/O
division.
Chris:
> This definition of the intellectual level as " symbol manipulation" makes it
> possible to strech it out forever. It becomes pointless.
Not pointless at all. Try to imagine a reality in which we were still
bound by those static links between social "symbols" and biological
knee-jerk reactions. We'd still be living in trees.
Magnus
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