[MD] Intellectual activity

[Heather Perella]

Hey Platt,
 
> > > >      Platt went on to say:  "Thus jobs for
> loggers
> > > > trumps the spotted owl..."
> > > > 
> > > >      SA:  The owl is not a machine.  The owl
> has
> > > intellect.
> > > 
> > >   Platt:  In Pirsig's moral hierarchy, intellect
> is
> > reserved
> > > for human beings. 
> > > Animals do not reach that level. They're stuck
> in
> > > the biological realm.
> > 
> >      Where does Pirsig say this?  Maybe I'm
> missing
> > something.
> 
> In several notes in "Lila's Child," Pirsig makes
> clear that the social 
> and intellectual levels are reserved for humans.
> Here's one such 
> reference:
> 
> 49. "Societies is used figuratively here as a more
> colorful word 
> meaning "groups."  If I had known it would be taken
> literally as 
> evidence that cells belong in the social level I
> would not have used 
> it.  Maybe in a future edition it can be struck out.
> One can also call 
> ants and bees "social" insects, but for purposes of
> precision in the 
> MOQ social patterns should be  defined as human and
> subjective.  Unlike 
> cells and bees and ants they cannot be detected with
> an objective 
> scientific instrument.  For example there is no
> objective scientific 
> instrument that can distinguish between a king and
> commoner, because 
> the difference is social."
 
SA: 
> >      Yes humankind needs work to live.  Owls need
> work
> > to live.  Work is effort.  I understand your
> > differentiating humankind uses intellect and owls
> > don't.  So we should just kill everything for that
> $. 
> > $ is the means to survive in this culture.  Sure
> it
> > takes intellect to read that one dollar bill, but
> that
> > ability to read weighed up against killing
> everything
> > in your path because you have that ability to
> read. 
> > Sounds very irrogant.
> 
> I think you're exaggerating. Nowhere do I suggest we
> "kill everything 
> in our path." But if the choice comes down to saving
> a mosquito's  
> habitat and growing grain to feed thousands of
> people, I'll take the 
> people's side every time.   

     Yes, but what would you do if the habit for an
owl was left to this last great mile after mile after
mile area that was tremendously smaller than the area
used by humankind.  Would you take much of that last
great woods to feed and grow an ever-expanding human
population that knows no full stomach.

> >     SA previously:  So I let you
> > > > know right away.  To kill off a species of any
> > > animal
> > > > just for $ just seems so wrong.  We need wood.
>  So
> > > > take some, but don't take it all and
> annihilate
> > > the
> > > > earth while your doing it.  I wish I could see
> > > > cougar's, wolves, and moose in the area I live
> in,
> > > but
> > > > even though they were here, their not anymore
> -
> > > killed
> > > > off.  Deer, turkey, elk, and coyotes almost
> killed
> > > off
> > > > in this state of Pennsylvania for lumber,
> sport,
> > > and
> > > > such, but people went to other states to get
> more
> > > and
> > > > reintroduced them here.  They were dismally
> gone
> > > and
> > > > without them being in other places to put some
> > > back
> > > > here, the woods would be soooo empty and
> quiet,
> > > too
> > > > quiet for me.  I like these animals, for
> beauties
> > > sake
> > > > at the very least.
> > 
> >      Platt responds:  Well, we too are part of
> > glorious nature. And we
> > > know nature can be 
> > > mighty rough at times when it comes to
> competition
> > > between species.
> > 
> >      Sure can, and to kill most of them because we
> can
> > cause we read is an unusual way to approach life. 
> I'm
> > sorry but I'm not getting your mentality here.
> 
> Nowhere am I saying "kill most of them." You
> exaggerate. 

     Ok, thank G-d I'm exaggerating.  Platt, really
and honestly, I thought I was talking to somebody that
went off the deep end.  I guess I brought this up only
because I thought the spotted owl was endangered of
becoming extinction, yet, people didn't care and
wanted to log out their habitat.  It's happened
before.  You know animals going extinction by human
desires for $, but I'm glad you've struck a balance as
I have.  :-)

     Platt said:  "Remember what happened at
Yellowstone Park not too long ago. A fire destroyed
most of it. Yet, in a few years, it all came back.
Biology is mighterier than man will ever be."

     Yet, the cougar is not full-fledged back here in
a region it once was.  The wolves are not.  The moose
is not.  The pine marten and porcupine are not as
wide-spread as they once where.  I'm not saying they
take it all or we take it all, but the cougar (I've
seen twice in this western PA, but are not readily
here as could be), wolves (not any for over 600 miles
away at the very least), moose (not any for over 800
miles at the very least).  The latter two are small
harmless creatures to humans that is, and they are not
around for at least another 80-100 miles from me. 
Yeah, they may come back, but why did those before us
have to kill them off so completely around here. 
There are lots and lots of woods here where I live. 
Woods that stretch for deca-miles and some for 100
hundreds of miles.  All interweaving that would make
them stretches that literally go on for a 1000 miles. 
Sure a road and town and city would have to be walked
around, but you get the picture, there are a lot of
woods, yet, their empty of creatures that could be
here.  Fear is one factor, but fear of the moose -
that's definitely not a factor.  It's what those
before us did without thinking of what those in the
future, their children could experience in what I will
now personally state is G-d's creation.

     Platt said:  "Except, of course, there's no such
thing as sin since each culture's ethos is just as
good as any other."

     And here's that sticky moral issue.  To tackle
this head-on with intellectual gumption is a practice
that we must do over and over again in order to
cultivate a more and more beauty of perfection.  It is
the effort of such a moral motive that helps any
compassionate creature to be as open-minded as
possible to the great possibilities that life on this
earth with sky can be.  Even if these possibilities
are not always coming from our own heads, yet, freely
roaming in the trees just close enough for us to view.

SA 

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