[MD] Metaphysics

[Andre Broersen]

Mary to Andre:
The Intellectual level is the one that, for the first time, has questioned
the supremacy of the S/O split.

Andre:
Hi Mary,
I tend to see this differently Mary. The intellectual level is
dominated by the S/O distinction.
Following Pirsig, our scientific understanding of reality was born
with Aristotle. As Anthony McWatt suggests in his MoQ Textbook, p53,
the ancient Greeks used a form of SOM, which was in the context of
subject/ predicate thinking. This division ( and here is where I ask
for critical comments from anyone) was further developed and employed
by Descartes resulting in the Mind/Matter distinction.

(I am not entirely sure how these have become mixed, if at all, and
invite anyone else to contribute comments. What, exactly is the
difference, if any, between a 'predicate' and an 'object'?).

The common sense designation for ‘scientific understanding’ ( I
suppose) is ‘objective understanding’ as separate from ‘subjective
understanding’. The former being the ‘true’ way of understanding
reality , the latter being one’s subjective opinions about reality
‘out there’.
Thus it follows that, with Aristotle, the intellectual level emerged.
The level which is separate from the social in the sense that the
social harbours ( subjective) opinions about reality as opposed to
objective truth statements about reality.

In this sense, the intellectual level has not questioned the supremacy
of the S/O distinction. The questioning of the legitimacy of knowledge
about reality based on the S/O distinction occurred with Pirsig and
the MoQ. I seem to remember that Pirsig says somewhere that, when
writing LILA, he was 'inspired' by DQ. He didn't write it, DQ did.

Mary:
It has noticed it and found it lacking as a basis for explaining
everything.  The other 3 levels use the S/O split for their purposes.
It works.They do not think about it at all, and if they do, it is a
total given.

Andre:
Sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about.

Mary:
The Intellectual is the only level that is capable of valuing asking
questions about what we have always assumed.

Andre:
SOM, as Intellect was/ is  capable of evaluating its own questions and
answers. It has done so continuously for centuries and has made the
necessary adjustments. However, this appears to be a circular
perpetuum et mobile because it keeps on throwing up paradoxes and
contradictions. Reason being that it has not asked questions about the
assumptions upon which it is based, namely maintaining the S/O
distinction as the basis of reality.

Pirsig has discovered and questioned these assumptions and argued that
they are wrong. The Mind/Matter distinction is not absolute... and of
course following ZMM posited Quality/Morality as Reality. Thus the MoQ
allows us to ask high quality questions and receive high quality
answers. In this way it 'dominates' S/O thinking.

Mary:
I am not saying that the MoQ is a product of the Intellectual Level.

Andre:
Bodvar argues very strongly that, following the same procedure as
Pirsig, with the emergence of the levels, one from the other, it is
'logical' that the MoQ ‘emerged’ from SOM, from subject/object
thinking. Therefore the MoQ cannot be ‘intellectual’, it is another
level ‘above’ S/O intellect. By keeping it ‘below’ itself, 2 things
happen: one; intellect is a static PoV and remains so (behind lock and
key) and the MoQ is free to reign and exert all its Quality potential.

Mary:
Keep warm,

Andre:
I am doing my best. It’s no use fighting it however, so a little
meditative practice of acceptance already lifts the sensation of cold.
Must say though that I would gladly sit on a hot stove at the moment!

Kind regards
Andre