[MD] The Quest for Quality

[Ham Priday]

On Thursday 18 September 2008 11:30 PM Joe responds to Ham:

> Being-aware seems to be your doctrine. How does it
> apply to an individual stone?

A stone is not aware.  It's an insentient being, part of our universal 
construct.

> As a plumber for many years I had to get a license
> or permit from the State, County or City to work at
> my profession.  I did not construct my own license.
> I do not know from whom I would get a permit to
> try to construct a universe from values.

Fortunately, you don't need a permit or license to experience value. This 
ability comes in the package with being-aware.

> What am I to you? I think you are a year older than
> I am so I suppose I have to respect my elders.
> Unfortunately I learned disrespect at an early age!
> I am sorry!

Do I sense a hurt conscience?  If you disrespect me, you should be sorry!

[Ham, previously]:
> I might ask you if there is such a thing as unrealized Quality.
> If not, then quality is an attribute of man's awareness rather
> than the essence of reality.

[Joe]
> "Uunrealized Quality² might not be a thing but a Quality.
> Yes, I think evolution is valuable over time.

That is not what I asked you.  Can there be a quality that is not realized?
I also asked where you come up with seven levels of quality.

> Do you deny the existence of Quality?  I guess you are
> not a Quality person.  To each his own!

I deny that there is quality or value in the absence of realization or 
appreciation.

> I am a singer. I model evolution according to an analogy
> to the intervals of the musical octave.

Yes, we've discussed that before, Joe.  Are the seven steps of the scale 
your model for the seven levels of quality?

[Ham, previously]:
> And what do they have to do with "revelation"?

[Joe]:
> You brought it up with a quote of "seeing through a
> glass darkly" from the bible.
> It was my opinion that an order in existence was the
> basis of my perception of existence.  I concluded
> that Scripture was the basis of your perception
> of existence.

That was an analogy to illustrate the limitations of human perception. The 
only "scripture" involved in my philosophy is my written thesis.

> I would argue that ... evolution is an apparent order in
> existence.  The experience of the appearance of existential
> phenomena is my experience of reality.

Putting existence before awareness is existentialism.  The existentialists 
(Heidegger, Sartre) theorised that being precedes essence.  Essentialism 
posits awareness as the dichotomy being/aware.  One does not exist without 
the other.

Essentially yours,
Ham