[MD] Problems with Intellectual control of Society

[Arlo Bensinger]

[John]
Intellectual control of society is the most dangerously immoral tool 
ever invented.

[Arlo]
So let me step back and look at Pirsig's hierarchy and see if I 
understand this...

Biological dominance of inorganic patterns = good.
Social dominance of biological patterns = good.
Intellectual dominance of social patterns = bad?

[John]
If we simply allow a society to evolve according to its own rules and 
process, it works things out "naturally".

[Arlo]
In the same vein, If "society" simply allowed biological patterns to 
evolve according to its own rules and process, it works things out "naturally".

So again I see I proposed hierarchy that says everything up to, and 
including, society has been wonderful, but then that icky "intellect" 
had to go and muck things up. Bad intellect! Bad!

I'll just end here by saying that "intellectual control of society", 
what you call the "most immoral tool ever invented", is what has 
given us representative government, trial by jury, habeas corpus, 
state and federal parks, public libraries, freedom of assembly, 
freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal treatment under the law 
(including civil rather than military law enforcement), women's and 
minority suffrage, etc.

Granted, the particular "intellectual pattern" that has been 
dominating Western society has a blind spot that has created 
problems, and this must be corrected, but before we revert back to 
the Dark Ages where society simply took care of "problems" without 
that pesky "intellect" getting in the way, lets be honest about the 
moral evolution that intellect has brought us.