[MD] Oneness, Dualism & Intellect

[Ham Priday]

Hi Platt --

> In my mind beauty is associated with betterness,
> ugly with worseness.

Mine too.  These are "positive" and "negative" values of the aesthetic kind.
They are also subjective, which means they're the individual's emotional
response to his/her objective reality.  Even if such values are communicated
to others, they don't have much affect on society.  In other words, my
values have little impact on society at large, and even less on the evolving
universe.

[Ham, previously]:
> I assume that "betterness" is the direction that evolution
> moves.  Wouldn't betterness be achieved just as fast and
> as certainly without us?  Or, is the phrase "moving forward"
> in this statement intended to refer only to human progress?

[Platt]:
> Yes, to human progress. Since humans are part of nature,
> I consider their works part of natural evolution.

Here. of course, I disagree.  Subjectivity is not part of nature.
Individuals are autonomous as far as the physical world is concerned.  Your
choice of values may enhance your world perspective but not mine.  You'd
have to be extremely persuasive to even begin to change someone else's world
view.

> What is of value to mankind I consider accelerating
> evolution. As far as I can tell, evolution has stopped
> at the biological and social levels.

Your seven or eight decades as an observer of this universe is but a tiny
fraction of its 14-billion-year evolution.  It's like a single frame in
2-hour motion picture.  Isn't it a bit short-sighted to conclude that
evolution has stopped?  New species are still being discovered on this
planet, new stars are being formed while others disappear into black holes,
and our own sun is in the process of cooling off.  We may even find
intelligent life blossoming on some other planet.

I don't know how to measure "social evolution", but by the looks of things,
I'd say it's far short of "good", and the jury is still out on whether it's
getting "better".

Sorry I can't be more supportive of your evolutionary theory, Platt, but
thanks for responding.

Regards,
Ham