-----Original Message----- From: david buchanan [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 6:45 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MD] Catching up to Pirsig
Krimel said to Marsha: ...the explosion of new applications of evolutionary theory that you cite is clear evidence of the dynamic quality of the theory. It is static patterns that often give rise to ever more interesting examples of dynamic quality. For example language is entirely composed of static pattern and yet out of it grow that infinite generativity of speech and writing. It is in fact the presence of static patterns that give rise to ever more astounding examples of dynamic quality. dmb says: Hey, here's something marvelous and rare. I agree with you. The explosion of applications isn't just evidence of the dynamic quality of the theory, though. It is also evidence for the theory of dynamic quality. I mean, the fact that evolutionary theory can be applied so widely supports the MOQ's expansion to include literally everything. As the old SNL fake news joke shows, the process of evolution operates differently in areas outside biology. "The world's leading evolutionary biologist died today... And was replaced by a larger, stronger evolutionary biologist." Or to use your example, words themselves don't strive to survive by tooth and claw and yet the theory can be adapted to language. Some scientists already describe the unfolding of the physical universe in terms of evolution and they do so, I suppose, without any help from the MOQ. Seems like things are generally moving in that direction and the diversity of applications will probably continue to grow. In a Alan Watts podcast I heard recently, he explained that the East and West are divided by a difference in their basic conceptions of how the world came to be. We in the West have what's called a "ceramic" conception of creation, where inert stuff is shaped or made as a potter does. God is the creator and we are among the created things. You know, Adam was made from the dust. In this conception reality is a collection of artifacts. Made by who and for what purpose? In the East, reality isn't a collection of nouns. Its a verb. Creatures aren't made. They come into being through action, through processes in which they are actors. Reality is a dance, not a structure. It comes to be from within, so to speak, rather than being manufactured by something outside itself. I mention this because I think the MOQ's expansion of evolution to include literally everything fits more comfortably with the Eastern conception. Imagine Darwinism in that context and that'd be close to the what the MOQ is saying. Or so it seems to me. 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/
