[MD] What's missing?

[Mati Palm-Leis]

Dearest Bo and others,

Though it is difficult to specifically narrow the birth of intellect I note
that Pirsig is observant in his noting that intellect is conspicuously
absent.  One favorite example is Moses freeing the Israelite from Pharaoh's
rule.  Interestingly enough the word freedom cannot be found in the passages
related to this time.  Why, one might ask, because freedom is an
intellectual concept.  If one would try to go back in time certainly the
Israelites would have wanted to be free but the concept of freedom was not
in the cards, intellectual cards.  No they were delivered by God's will a
social construct of that time.  

One book for the interest of MD members is Karen Armstrong's "The Great
Transformation" in which she looks at the transformation of 5 great
societies from 2500 to about 500 B.C. in which she look at the development
of the Axioage in which these social societies were in search of greater
social stability in dealing with ruthless bloodletting that their societies
encountered.  I noted in my mind this same conspicuously absent as well.
But! One can begin to see the pre-intellectual development of these
societies as they wrestled with their individual religious and social
development.  But as you have ask, where is the intellectual "beef".  I
concur that the strongest evidence is found in the Greeks and their
development of Western Philosophy which, via Aristotle, provided the first
metaphysical capacity to define reality beyond the social level.  

This of course brings me back to a question I believe I raised before.  Why
did Pirsig choose to attack SOM in ZMM? Was there any other metaphysical
basis for reality to consider and dispute?  I believe it was the mother of
all metaphysical reality and therefore the only one beast for Pheadrus to
wrestle with.  If this is true I believe that many will concede that SOM is
an intellectual pattern.  As I would suggest, SOM is the taproot from which
all intellect can be traced to.  One question that is raised is what other
intellectual patterns that could be considered?  

Stirring the intellectual pot. 
Mati 




-----Original Message-----
From: moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org
[mailto:moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org] On Behalf Of skutvik at online.no
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 3:26 AM
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
Subject: [MD] What's missing?

Absolutely All.
I have tried to tried to air this "quiz" a couple of times but for 
some incomprehensible reason it did not evoke any interest, so I 
try again and hope that many will respond.

In his letter of September 2003 to Paul Turner Pirsig uttered 
these words:

    Just when the evolution of the intellectual level from the 
    social level took place in history can only be speculated 
    on .... [snip] .... but if one studies the early books of the 
    Bible or if one studies the sayings of primitive tribes 
    today, the intellectual level is conspicuously absent. The 
    world is ruled by Gods who follow social and biological 
    patterns and nothing else.  

But more specifically, what is missing from the said Biblical age 
compared to posterity? If that can be pinned down we finally have 
Pirsig's definition of what constitutes intellect. Of course there are 
a billion "things" and, not much talk about politics and economics 
..etc. but you know what I mean.:  In a MOQ context what has 
happened in between? 

Please

Bo 

  


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