[MD] A formalised Code of Art

[Squonkonguitar at aol.com]

Hi Mark,

Mark said:  
This Code of Art business has been so  downgraded to a superficial patina  
slapped on as an after thought in  the West i feel unqualified to discuss it 
in  
depth with  you.

The Code of Art is not a prominent aspect of my culture and i've had  to  
direct my attention to other cultural sources for insights into  what it is 
about.
It's a fine thing and i don't wish to insult  it.

David responds:
Actually I think an example of The Code of Art is  Democracy. Democracy, 
unlike Communism, is always changing, people see things  they think are good (or 
have a dim apprehension of) and persue them, sometimes  successfully, sometimes 
not.
 
Mark 13-10-06: Hello David.
If democracy is an example of the Code of Art then my suggestion, 'The Code  
of Art is not a prominent aspect of my culture...' seems to have  been fatally 
challenged.
>From 'The edge of Chaos':
"Society and art express sweet spots in justice, temper, character, and  
grace. One example presented by Robert Pirsig in LILA is the Marshal plan. Here,  
static social institutions of American [Democratic] government are harmonised  
with the Dynamic celebrity status of the particular social patterns of the  
president Roosevelt himself – the result appears to have resulted in an overall 
 higher state of static quality and Dynamic response." (Maxwell. 2003)
As you can see, I argue the static social institution of American  government 
provides the conditions for Dynamic response to increase, but it can  fall 
away also.
I do not argue Democracy is an example of The Code of Art. I argue it  
provides good conditions for the Code of Art to be followed.

Mark said: 
A Master has got it - he/she isn't trying to get  it.

David responds:
Okay, if it makes it simpler for you, scratch  trying.   All are following 
the Code of Art, whether trying or  not.
 
Mark 13-10-06: This relates to my argument about conditions which encourage  
Dynamic response not being the Code of Art.
It is implicit in Lila that the best conditions for Dynamic response share  a 
sq and a Dynamic aspect. These aspects are not always present.
Therefore, your statement that, 'All are following the Code of Art, whether  
trying or not' is facile.
It is not always possible to follow the Code of Art, because the conditions  
for following the Code of Art are not always present.

Mark said: OK. So  your position seems to equate responding to DQ and  the 
Code of Art  simpliciter.
They are the same thing.
All patterns respond to DQ, and  doing so means they follow the Code of Art.
But as i've stated, responding to  DQ may be degenerate.
In this case, you regard the Code of Art to be followed  poorly.
So, in your view, Hitler followed the Code of Art. Poorly to be sure,  but  
he 
was following the Code of Art non the less. Do you seriously  believe this is 
 
what the Code of Art is all about? Surely, 'poor  excellence' is an  oxymoron?

David responds:
Yes I agree,  exactly, 'poor excellence' *is* an oxymoron and that's why we 
would never say  Hitler was following the Code of Art unless you were trying to 
show how bad at  it he was.  To be sure, my view of Hitler is that he pursued 
degenerate  *static* social patterns of celebrity.
 
Mark 13-10-06: But you've just stated, 'All are following the Code of Art,  
whether trying or not.'
I agree Hitler was on a heavy celebrity trip, but that's high social  quality 
for you.
The wider social consequences of his trip induced chaos on a Continental  
scale. Hardly a work of Dynamic Art.

David said:"Because static  patterns  exist it is important to emphasize the 
difficulty of   everything  following the Code of Art.   While maintaining  
biological  
and  social patterns it can be followed using the  concept of   [[rta]]."

Mark said: My take on rta is that it is  Quality (DQ). Therefore, rta is  
not a concept.

David  responds:
I Disagree.  I think that rta is a concept. Rta is the concept  of perfecting 
static patterns at which point they dissapear (DQ). It uniquely  combines SQ 
and DQ with no conflict.
 
Mark 13-10-06: All this time you've been formalising the code of Art from a  
sq point of view and it turns out you're basically searching for what is said  
in, 'The edge of Chaos.' If you want a conceptual description of excellence 
then  it has a name: Coherence.
But, Coherence is NOT DQ. Rta is. So, Rta is not a concept.

Mark  said:
sq patterns are concepts. 

David  responds:
Agreed.

Mark said:
The Code of Art aims at excellent  relationship of sq patterns, and in so 
doing reveals DQ. 

David  responds:
I think your sounding like I was with that slippery word  'trying'.  I'll 
catch you on the same thing you did me earlier.  The  Code of Art has no effort 
involved.  We just follow it. Emphasis on  just.
 
Mark 13-10-06: I'm not having that David. From, 'The edge of Chaos':
"If a pattern is in too static a relationship, it moves to the right and is  
evolutionary dead.  If the pattern is in too unstable a relationship, it  
moves to the left.
The sweet spot is postulated as a coherent state somewhere between these  two 
extremes. At the sweet spot of Dynamic Quality (DQ), a pattern is neither  
too static or unstable.  It is here that a process is most efficient, art  more 
beautiful and life more serene."
The 'sweet spot' is the excellent relationship the Code of Art aims  at.
Masters aim and hit with ease - they aim and hit without trying.
Those without mastery try when they aim and this is the source of  problems.

David:
If you want to keep this word aims however, you could  say 

"The Code of Art aims for DQ." That way, as we both know, DQ has no  effort. 
If you aim at a static pattern such as excellence, you'll miss DQ.
 
Mark 13-10-06: Stop a moment. Who said Excellence is a static  pattern?
I suggest it is a relationship between sq patterns.
The 'Aim' is a unifying process of alignment if you will.
The resulting relationship of the unifying process is a static description  - 
it is by definition the 'best' sq relationship.

Mark said:
Running  around in a circle is a sq pattern, and if you do it well enough you 
will kill  those patterns by running a perfect circle and reveal DQ.

David  responds:
I agree. I call it rta!
 
Mark 13-10-06: I call it coherence.

"There at the center of the most  monotonous boredom of static ritualistic 
patterns, the dynamic freedom is  found." -RMP

Cheers Mark,

Great conversation.

-David.
 
Mark 13-10-06: Well, i do rather feel i've been running around in  circles.
Love,
Mark