[John]
My attribution of "smug superiority" wasn't over anyone's knowledge
of theories, ideas or cosmologies, my attribution of smugness was
toward the implicit assumption that the possession of said theories
and ideas constituted an understanding of the emergence of life.
Nobody understands life's emergence. Nobody.
[Arlo]
As with all theories, those who hold them understand they are
metaphors, analogies, descriptions that best serve to illuminate the
unseeable Void. Despite the clamour from the talk-radio crowd, its
not all "colors of theism". Explanatory power enhances the human
condition. The MOQ, as an emergentist theory, holds far greater, and
far batter, explanatory power than other theories that preceded it.
What's funny to me is that the same bemoaning certain people have
over "emegence theories" (that it contains an inherently
unexplainable "oops") is the same thing they pay lipservice to in
supporting the MOQ (a philosophy whose central term is undefined).
The MOQ "understands" life's emergence as the result of score of
smaller, circling and radiating webs of response to DQ. Even if you
read Steve Johnson's now somewhat dated book "Emergence: The
Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software", or follow the
eloquently insightful work of Douglas Hofstadter, you'll see this
same "theme" echoed throughout. Like fractal imagery, as we "focus"
up and down the pattern level we see the sea contained in a drop of
water. We see patterns responding to Quality within their own agenic
sphere, oblivious to the smaller pattern they themselves are composed
and equally oblivious to the larger patterns of which they constitute
but a small part.
[John]
They've got the exact age of the universe figured out, they've got
the emergence of life figured out, and they transmit their theories
as facts in the classroom and on the discovery/nova outlets which
propogate the smugness to countless dimwitted millions.
[Arlo]
We are certainly creating better and better understandings, but this
sort of inane reduction-to-theisticality is best left for talk-radio
channels. I don't know anyone who says "its all figured out". Its
always about learning, refining, coming to better and better
positions of clarity. Yes, quantum physics has given us much better
insight into the interactive fabric of the "cosmos", and SHOULD be
"transmitted" in classrooms and on Discovery/Nova. The MOQ *is* a
better metaphysics, and even though none of us (I hope) hold it to be
the "last philosophy" of a people who "finally got it all figured
out", it SHOULD be "transmitted" in classrooms and on Discovery/Nova
(or perhaps the Philosophy Channel (wishful thinking)).
[John]
And yet, nature shows and classrooms are full of disinformation
campaigns intended to give the masses the confident answers that the
masses crave. It's little different to my thinking than the
catechisms of the medieval church.
[Arlo]
Please tell me you don't really believe this nonsense? Hey, maybe you
could join Sarah Palin has a commentator on FOX.
[John]
A known ignorance is better than an unconscious one.
[Arlo]
Only if it serves to move your towards understanding. Being willfully
ignorant and using that as an excuse to promulgate erroneous
criticisms is, IMHO, far worse.
And, as I said, there is nothing wrong in and of itself with "willful
ignorance". Many people choose to shove their head in the ground or
cover their ears and go "LALALALALA" when faced with things they
don't want to know or understand. Fine. But then shut the hell about
stuff you admit choosing ignorance on. If you deliberately choose to
remain ignorant about quantum theories, don't go telling a quantum
physicist his theories are wrong.
[John]
And AHA latching is what I think of as DQ. That is, I see DQ as the
realization of the good, in the moment. So there is where the
discussion would take place.
[Arlo]
Well, sure, AHA! is the necessary reaction to DQ that induces
latching. Remember that "static patterns" are visible only in
aggregate and from the top down. An atom forming carbon isn't
choosing to "form a static pattern", its simply responding within its
agenic sphere to Quality. As I said, conversely, we rarely see the
"Bleech!" since those thing do NOT latch, and hence are fleeting. So
when we look back and see only the AHA!s it make it seem like that's
all there was. Illusion.
Again, if you take chance, or unpredictability, or uncertainty out of
the mix, you eliminate "realization of the good, in the moment"
because the whole cosmos becomes a supermarionation show for the Will
of Quality.
[John]
Like, if I was actually smart enough to converse with all you high
falutin' experts.
[Arlo]
High falutin'? Son, I say, pay attention, son, you're built too low,
the fast ones go over your head. You got a hole in your glove.I keep
pitchin' 'em and you keep missin' 'em. You gotta keep your eye on the
ball. Eye?! Ball?! Eyeball! I almost had a gag son... (Nice kid but
his minds about as bare as a cooch dancer's midrift).*
* Apologies and love to Foghorn.
[John]
Well I thought that was MY point, that the origins of life and
everything were beyond the boundaries of my knowledge, by definition.
[Arlo]
Well, I guess we could've stopped at Newtonian physics then. Why
bother with refining or extending or increasing what we can know?
Indeed, why did Pirsig even bother to write his books, since this is the case?
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