Hi Joe & all, > Imho the hierarchy of the levels of evolution needs a little tweaking. > Right now there is no coherent statement of how an individual level in > evolution materializes.
[Mary Replies] You're right. Pirsig never explains the mechanism that causes the leap from one level to another, but I don't think it matters. The hierarchy of the levels is only visible in retrospect. For instance, if there were a new 5th level in the works I don't think we would see it coming. The levels are only useful as a taxonomic construct. A way to group SPOVs that have a like "purpose of their own". As we know, there are clusters of SPOVs that serve biology, society, and intellectual level pursuits. As Pirgig says, they only break free from the previous level when they evolve to the point where they no longer serve to support that previous level. I don't know if that would always be obvious at the time. > > Intellectual and social levels are also problematic in that I have > great > difficulty trying to isolate a social level that is prior to an > intellectual > level. [Mary Replies] What works for me is SOM as the intellectual level. Not SOL, mind you, because that has existed since the biological. What I'm referring to is the objectification of reality, the scientific method, for example. The scientific method does not serve a Social Level function. I'm starting to think, too, that you can see how this is a direct outgrowth of the elevation of the individual found in monotheism. I find this useful because it fits the "rules" Pirsig established for the levels. SOM does not have a mandate to serve social level purposes. At times it MAY support the social, but it's just as likely that it won't. For me, you have to reject the notion that the Intellectual Level is simply "thinking" or "higher intelligence". Those things had to already exist for the Social Level to develop. Despite reading your post slowly and carefully, I am unable to grasp your meaning about the relationship of the musical octave to the MoQ, but if you'd be willing to try again, so will I. :) Thanks, Mary 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/
