[MD] Does the MOQ invalidate Subjectivity?

[Steve Peterson]

Hi Gene, Ham,

Ham:
 > But do you really believe the world
> perceives itself?   Is this a principle of Taoism, Vitalism, or New Age
> philosophy that I've missed?

Gene:
I don't so much think it perceives itself, as that it is aware of itself. A
Rock knows it's a Rock, and remains a Rock simply because it doesn't know
Not to be a Rock. I honestly have no source to ascribe that idea to, as far as I know it's one of my own.

RMP Annotation 30
"I think the answer is that inorganic objects experience events but do not react to them biologically socially or intellectually. They react to these experiences inorganically, according to the laws of physics."

Steve:

I think to go further and say a rock is aware that it is a rock is going too far. Self-awareness requires intellect to create the idea of self and rocks don't think.

Related to Ham's question about subjectivity I dug this one out:

RMP:
"Yes, the relationship of the MOQ to philosophic idealism is an important one that is not adequately spelled out in Lila. In a materialist system mind has no reality because it is not material. In an idealist system matter has no reality because it is just an idea. The acceptance of one meant the rejection of the other. In the MOQ both mind and matter are levels of value. Materialist explanations and idealist explanations can coexist because they are descriptions of coexisting levels of a larger reality. The MOQ does not deny the traditional scientific view of reality as composed of material substance and independent of us. It says it is an extremely high quality idea. We should follow it whenever it is practical to do so. But the MOQ, like philosophic idealism, says.this scientific view of reality is still an idea. If it were not an idea, then that “independent scientific material reality” would not be able to change as new scientific discoveries come in."


Regards,
Steve

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