[MD] QRE: The 4th. level's two interpretations. Par

[KAYE PALM-LEIS]

Steve and Bo,

 > Steve:
> I don't know whether Stone Age man could provide a rationale for his
> behavior or not. Pirsig's comments suggest that he couldn't--that his
> behavior that was not instinctual (biologically latched through DNA)
> was ritual behavior (socially latched through unconscious copying of
> behavior). But if he could provide such rationale, doing so would be
> participating in intellectual patterns. The quality of said rationales
> would be intellectual quality rather than social or biological
> quality.

Mati: The issue here is that you are using "rationale" as basis for
evidence of intellect. The problem is that all kinds of behaviors
existed long before the Greeks and no doubt even the caveman could
demonstrate behaviors that were based on some kind of rational
decision making process.  The problem is compounded that seemingly
intelligent type be found in animals or even in some pretty
sophisticated computer programming and we all might suggest that these
are evidence of intellect.  I think for the most part we could look at
these behaviors and very easily recognize that there is something
missing and that they are not really intellect at all. Whether we are
talking about cavemen or even the early Egyptians who were pretty
sophicated in their engineering capacity, my contention is that we are
talking about pre-intellect type behaviors that look a lot like
intellect, but they are before intellect was realized. Before
intellect is realized all pre-intellectual thinking/behavior were
understood as a product of the social level, i.e. Greek Gods, Egyptian
Gods etc.  Intellect becomes fully realized, in my humble opinion when
Aristotle makes the S/O split.  From the point the cat is out of the
box and no longer is intellect behold to the social level and social
quality.  In part that the social level had still a fairly strong grip
on society it wasn'y worried, and frankly it didn't even know about
the box or the cat.  Again the question is of the meaning and
existence.  Prior to intellect all meaning and existence was beholden
to the social level, after the S/O split rational objective
intellectual patterns were only beholden to themselves. Anyway that is
my take on it.

Mati