[MD] Democracy

[Christoffer Ivarsson]

> Hi Chris,
>
>> I do not disagree that a lower level pattern may be overlaid and
>> controlled
>> by a higher one, all I'm saying is that  intellect doesn't control the
>> social level only because we have democracy. Intellect controls the 
>> social
>> level when intellectual values are always more central than social ones. 
>> I
>> can imagine that when everyone within a democracy let's rationality
>> supersede social level values every time they are in conflict - that 
>> would
>> be the ideal state for the intellectual level.
>
> Two problems with relying on intellectual level rationality.1) Reason 
> alone
> (SOM) doesn't provide a basis for moral judgments. 2)  "So convenient it 
> is
> to be a rational creature, since it enables us to find or make a reason 
> for
> everything one has a mind to do."  -- Benjamin Franklin. Obviously 1 and 2
> are related. Example: In the current presidential contest there is no lack
> of reasons on either side to cast one's vote.
>
> Platt

You have a point. However, Intellectual level rationality, or, what that is 
aimed at - Truth - is evolutionary superior to social-level values. 
Rationality, as one method aiming towards truth, but not the only one,  is 
still better to have as the guiding principle of society rather than social 
values like patriotism or stuff like that.  The best thing we can do then, 
would be to try to build a society where people can value truth. And I say 
"can" because people must to some degree be freed from social level 
dominance in order for intellectual valuing to be supreme - that's what we 
should build for. Just as the social level made it easier to get away from 
only biological values, it strengthened it's position, in the same way the 
intellectual level must build on and reform the social level in order to 
make truth more valued.

Do I make sense?

Chris