Joe,(and all) thanks for such a warm welcome. preficing your response with "IMO" indicates a certain dynamic quality. therefore i submit to you the following ideas; cutting an other edge of reality.
1.) the periodic table is a useful way to illustrate physical value relationships. it has great static quality. 2.) life/evolution is a process that manifests itself as a queer, seemingly anti-entropic phenomenon that the constituent "value relationships" (matter/stuff) described in the table convey. the table is a result of evolution; homosapiens, a result of evolution, created the table and therefore it shall not deny it. my interjection of Emerson's essay is meant to inspire discussion of the transcendental or "dynamic quality" correlation between two brilliant philosophers, disparate only by time (one hundred years.) -jared ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Maurer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:07 PM Subject: Re: [MD] metaphysics, substance, intellect > On Thurs 28 June 2007 12:48:59 TE quotes Emerson’s Intellect essay: > > <snip> > > "Every substance is negatively electric to that which stands > above it in the chemical tables, positively to that which stands below > it. Water dissolves wood, and iron, and salt; air dissolves water; > electric fire dissolves air, but the intellect dissolves fire, > gravity, laws, method, and the subtlest unnamed relations of nature, > in its resistless menstruum. Intellect lies behind genius, which is > intellect constructive. Intellect is the simple power anterior to > all action or construction. Gladly would I unfold in calm degrees a > natural history of the intellect, but what man has yet been able to > mark the steps and boundaries of that transparent essence? The first > questions are always to be asked, and the wisest doctor is gravelled > by the inquisitiveness of a child. How can we speak of the action of > the mind under any divisions, as of its knowledge, of its ethics, of > its works, and so forth, since it melts will into perception, > knowledge into act? Each becomes the other. Itself alone is. Its > vision is not like the vision of the eye, but is union with the > things known. Intellect and intellection signify to the common ear > consideration of abstract truth. The considerations of time and > place, of you and me, of profit and hurt, tyrannize over most men's > minds. Intellect separates the fact considered from _you_, from all > local and personal reference, and discerns it as if it existed for > its own sake. "... > > Thoughts? > > Hi TE and all > > Welcome! > > IMO the periodic table denies evolution! Emerson considered Earth, Water, > Air, Fire, > as processes in the periodic table rather than a descriptive evolutionary > process. > With this start he accepts intellect as mind rather than a level of > evolution. Pirsig saw mind as valueless. The value of the social level is > different from the value of the intellectual level. > Mind is a metaphorical agent in levels above organic. Is there an > evolutionary difference between the inorganic, and the organic level? > > Joe > > > > > > At the beginning of Lila, Pirsig discusses the metaphysical (un)reality of > substance. This metaphysical concept of substance reconciles the > disparate > actuality that quantum physics observes; that the fundamental constituents > of substance (quarks, strings, etc) are not themselves considered > substance. > > This idea can be stated in the following elementary paradox: > > "The stuff that makes up stuff is not stuff. Therefore stuff is not > stuff." > > This simplest example illustrates a theme that reminds me of Emerson's > "Intellect" essay, written in 1841. This is how he begins: > > "Every substance is negatively electric to that which stands > above it in the chemical tables, positively to that which stands below > it. Water dissolves wood, and iron, and salt; air dissolves water; > electric fire dissolves air, but the intellect dissolves fire, > gravity, laws, method, and the subtlest unnamed relations of nature, > in its resistless menstruum. Intellect lies behind genius, which is > intellect constructive. Intellect is the simple power anterior to > all action or construction. Gladly would I unfold in calm degrees a > natural history of the intellect, but what man has yet been able to > mark the steps and boundaries of that transparent essence? The first > questions are always to be asked, and the wisest doctor is gravelled > by the inquisitiveness of a child. How can we speak of the action of > the mind under any divisions, as of its knowledge, of its ethics, of > its works, and so forth, since it melts will into perception, > knowledge into act? Each becomes the other. Itself alone is. Its > vision is not like the vision of the eye, but is union with the > things known. > Intellect and intellection signify to the common ear > consideration of abstract truth. The considerations of time and > place, of you and me, of profit and hurt, tyrannize over most men's > minds. Intellect separates the fact considered from _you_, from all > local and personal reference, and discerns it as if it existed for > its own sake. "... > > Thoughts? > > 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/ > 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/ 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/
