Steve to Platt: Platt: Yes. The SOM intellectual level (not pattern) is what Pirsig is talking about here -- the level that became "supreme" over the social level, upsetting Rigel and causing him to dump on Pirsig.
Steve: I never said that the intellectual level is a pattern, rather it is a type of pattern. I know that you view the levels as types of people rather than types of patterns. This is a misconception. Though the levels help us to understand people by understadning what pattern dominate diferent people, if you do a search for "intellectual level" in Lila, you will never see Pirsig refer to someone as "being on the intellectual level"--a phrase that is used regularly in this forum. What you will find is the frequent use of the phrase "intellectual level of evolution" and references to patterns as in the following: etc etc, Andre: Hi Steve, Platt and all, By intellectual level Pirsig means to include all the patterns that define that level. It was this SOM intellectual level, i.e. including all its derivatives (patterns) he held responsible for the mess we are in and to tackle this level he had to go where, as far as he knew, no one had ever gone before. Out of this quest arose the MoQ. Aristotle's (S/O) metaphysics (search for Truth) arose out of the social level after a battle with the Sophists (search for Good). Truth won, The Good lost. Rhetoric stayed at the social level and perhaps transformed into the Church (!?). Since SOM's renaissance it has been in constant conflict with the Church and after Armistice Day, when this intellectual level,and all its patterns, claimed the driver's seat, it has been the dominating intellectual level. I don't particularly like creating another level. Before we know it we have created ourselves a MoQ Tower of Babel! But what Pirsig has done was not simply applying some cosmetic surgery to this level ( he didn't simply change a bit of terminology, added a bit here, rearranging a bit there to 'help' SOM).He expanded it but almost beyong recognition. He didn't want SOM to be overlaid with prettiness (ZMM p287). As he suggests earlier: 'To arrive at...Quality requires a somewhat different procedure from the Step 1, Step 2, step 3 instructions that accompany dualistic technology [and S/O science]... (ZMM p 286). He sought a complete unification and has applied major ECT (pardon the analogy)!! He has created a completely new personality.SOM into MoQ. BUT by suggesting that the MoQ is a static intellectual pattern sitting nicely, side by side with SOM, within the same level is expressing a mind divided against itself. The MoQ is 'opposed' to SOM for reasons that have been stated left, right and center in our posts (and many more) i.e.not recognising Quality. BUT Pirsig brings the MoQ back into the S/O camp by suggesting his definition of the meaning of the intellectual level. (see letter to Paul Turner). 'Abstract manipulation' presupposes 'concrete manipulation'. This is reinforcing the S/O distinction again. SQ is supposed to designate the unification of subject/object ( the romantic and classic 'understanding that led him on this path in the first place) and the MoQ is that. DQ/SQ. His own definition, to make it more meaningful, does not reflect the massive job he has carried out. MoQ 'inspired' intellectualisation means being informed, reflecting and being conscious of all processes at all levels, including the responses to quality events. Instead of reducing this level it needs to be expanded again to render it more meaningful! In this way you also remove this dualistic S/O thinking. We are these processes and these patterns (Lila p158)!! Maybe we need to completely rethink our intellectual processing. They do include all levels. Our current SOM Intellectual level stops us from direct experience. 'Kill all intellectual patterns' (Lila p 406). I think the 'expanded' version places us in the Code of Art area and in this sense 'closer' to DQ. For what it is worth. Andre 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/
