[MD] Distinguishing Levels

[Arlo J. Bensinger]

[Case]
Socials hierarchies are present throughout nature. In some there ar physical
differences between caste members in some there aren't. In mos primate
societies the leaders are hard to pick out. Dress codes among human. make
actually make it easier to single out the leaders from the followers. It would
be far easier to locate the Pope in a stadium of people that to pick out the
alpha male in the ape habitat at the Atlanta zoo. To set up "society" as a
metaphysical level then refuse to consider the thousand of types of social
organizations that exist in nature has always seemed odd to me. Human society
has clear and obvious precursors among other members of the primate family. 

[Arlo]
I just responded with something very similiar. I think Pirsig mispoke on this
one. The quote makes it evident that he is confusing "ant-bodies" with the
social behavior of ants, saying because we can detect the former with
scientific instruments the latter can't be on the social level. For the
reasons, too, which you've cited, I think the MOQ is much stronger and precise
if it covers all of nature and their varied social organizations (as you say).

Arlo