[MD] Kant's Motorcycle

[Ham Priday]

Greetings, Laramie --


I had said (to Joe):
> Desire doesn't presuppose a cognizant form; it only infers
> a "lack of something."  I think Socrates' definition of desire
> relates to one's sense of Value, which is pre-intellectual.
> In the temporal mode of human awareness, the value "of
> enlightenment" precedes the intellectual form -- the "object"
> that represents our experience of this value.
>
> Again, I see the value filling the void of PA as the precursor
> to objective cognizance.  Am I off the track here, or have I
> misconstrued your comment?

Larz:
> All I am getting at is that life (or Value, if you prefer) presents
> a constant challenge and the way I respond is determined by
> the complexity of my understanding.  It is really only through
> asking new questions and seeking greater insight into existing
> problems that evolution unfolds and the Self is able to create
> and respond with greater depth.  The more I see, the more I
> am able to feel - thus, truth/abstraction is superior to good/will.
> Everything boils down to power of projection.

You are getting at more than I've implied, and I'm trying to fathom exactly
what it is.  You say that "the way you respond [to Value] is determined by
the complexity of your understanding."  By "complexity" do you mean "depth"?
Does this suggest that it must encompass metaphysical understanding?

You also introduce "problems" unfolding from evolution, and seem to imply
that they become more complex over the individual's lifespan -- or are you
talking about the history of mankind?  I don't see the average human having
to confront increasingly complex problems over his lifetime.  Are the
problems you refer to moral dilemmas or epistemological questions?

In any case, my statement infers nothing more than everyday experience by
normal (non-philosopher-type people) as triggered by their sense of value.
This concept of constructing objective reality from the sense of Value is
still too new for me to expand into psycho-intellectual processes at this
juncture.

Can you elucidate on this subject, perhaps by offering an example or
psychology reference?

Also, how do you define The Essential Self that you cited in response to
Platt's list of Whitehead's phrases?

Thanks, Laramie.

-- Ham