[MD] The SOM/MOQ discrepancy.

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Arlo previously]
Before man appeared on the historical stage, what responded to Dynamic Quality?
Give me an example of something, some animal, plant, species, whatever that you
think responded to DQ before man appeared. I imagine you believe that SOMETHING
could respond to DQ before "man", so I ask you, what?

[Andre]
Look around you and all will be revealed. Go to the forest, to the
supermarket,see a sunset/rise anything...all is the result of a response to DQ.
Some low, some high Quality.

[Arlo]
I could not agree more. In fact, I've said many times that all patterns respond
to DQ, but their responses are constrained (and enabled!) by the level they
reside (and further by their complexity within that level).

Thus an atom responds to DQ with only the limited and mundane repertoire made
possible and restricted by the inorganic level. An amoeba has a greater range
of possible responses, as its repertoire includes responses made possible only
at the biological level. A cat, although also constrained by the biological
level, has a greater range of responses due to its much greater complexity
within the level.

The problem is that Platt claims (and to be fair, Pirsig suggests) that nothing
responds to DQ except for "man". Once again, I would then ask, if so then
"what" did respond to DQ before man? Give me an example of anything, anything
at all, that "responded to DQ" before man appears on the stage. 

If Platt had said "animals", then I would ask (and he knows this), give me an
example of how an animal may have responded to DQ in the past that it can no
longer do. Give me some evidence from history, anthropology, archeology,
whatever of an animal that did things in response to DQ, and what that was, all
things that animals today (in their non-DQness) can't do.

I think you'll see how absurd that is revealed to be when you start asking
simple questions like these.