All MD
Here's the second part of a longish LILA quote that Ron brought to the
forum (for some purpose?)
"A conventional subject-object metaphysics uses the same
four static patterns as the Metaphysics of Quality, dividing
them into two groups of two: inorganic-biological patterns
called 'matter,' and social-intellectual patterns called 'mind.'
Is there an "unconventional" SOM? And picking nits, "...uses the same
four static patterns". SOM uses the same TERMS, but these are not
regarded as "static patterns". Even more nit-picking; Is biology (life)
really considered *matter" by SOM? It evades measurements as much
as "society", but OK I understands his point: You can see and touch
matter and living things while society and intellect is intangible, thus
according to Pirsig SOM's matter/mind separation runs here.
But this division is the source of the problem. When a subject-
object metaphysics regards matter and mind as eternally
separate and eternally unalike, it creates a platypus bigger
than the solar system. It has to make this fatal division
because it gives top position in its structure to subjects and
objects. Everything has got to be object or subject, substance
or non-substance, because that's the primary division of the
universe. Inorganic-biological patterns are composed of
'substance,' and are therefore 'objective.' Social-intellectual
patterns are not composed of 'substance' and are therefore
called 'subjective.'
This is the start of (the orthodox way) how SOM is subsumed by the
MOQ: Inorg.+ biology = objective/society + intellect = subjective, and it
works to the degree of how the MOQ would look from SOM (if it knew
it!) but in Lila's Child it sounds more like how the MOQ and SOM
mingles. For instance annotation # 4 (p.529)
"In the MOQ all organisms are objective, they exist in the
material world. All societies are subjective, they exist in the
mental world. Again the distinction is very sharp for example
'The President of the United States' is a social pattern, no
objective scientific instrument can distinguish a president from
anyone else"
"In the MOQ!" As if "objective & material" and "subjective & mental"
are valid inside the MOQ! It's not even correct, as said above, the
"aliveness" quality of an organism can't be detected by instruments,
only its inorganic component. No, the levels are "static quality" having
no quasi-somish quality, SOM is contained as MOQ's 4th. level. Full
stop.
Then, having made this arbitrary division based on 'substance,'
conventional metaphysics then asks, 'What is the relationship
between mind and matter, between subject and object?'
But nonetheless Pirsig goes on to explain how the MOQ resolves the
mind/matter relationship from this "arbitrary" subsumption.The same
quotation goes on
The mind-matter paradoxes seem to exist because the
connecting links between these two levels of value patterns
have been disregarded. Two terms are missing: biology and
society. Mental patterns do not originate out of inorganic
nature. They originate out of society, which originates out of
biology which originates out of inorganic nature. And, as
anthropologists know so well, what a mind thinks is as
dominated by social patterns as social patterns are dominated
by biological patterns and as biological patterns are dominated
by inorganic patterns. There is no direct scientific connection
between mind and matter.
And this becomes a true mess. "The connecting link between matter
and mind" is the biological and social levels, ergo he sees the
inorganic level=matter and the intellectual=mind and here is the origin
of the mind-intellect that prevents an understanding of the MOQ.
Maybe doesn't he mean it that way, it's correct that intellectual patterns
originates out of social patterns, but NOT "mental patterns ...etc". This
is an unholy blend of SOM and MOQ that doesn't explain the
mind/matter platypus but only moves it to between Q-biology and Q-
society" How does corporeal-biological patterns turn mental social? It's
wrong from the start, the levels are neither material or mental SOM is
confined as the intellectual level. .
Sincerely.
Bodvar
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