[MD] LC Comments

[Magnus Berg]

Hi Bo

On 2010-07-13 11:01, skutvik at online.no wrote:
> They have very much to do with each other, but listen you two guys: I
> have earlier referred to Phaedrus' insight in ZAMM (the campfire
> speech) about Newton's Theory creating the Gravity Reality. DMB
> seems not (to wish) to understand what P. says here, namely that
> great theories create new realities, or at least he interprets theories as
> intellectual patterns that expands rationality. However, I think P's aim
> was far greater, translated into moqspeak that the MOQ creates the
> QUALITY REALITY. How is it Magnus do you have an opinion on this
> issue?

Me? Opinion? Need you ask anyone to tell you these things? :)

"Great theories create new realities"? Hmm, well, yes in the sense that 
the intellectual pattern is real, then yes. If we say that our 
intellectual reality is the sum of all theories and ideas, then the 
intellectual reality is different with the theory than without it.

However, our inorganic reality hasn't changed one bit. I.e. apples still 
fall exactly as fast as they did before the new theory, and planets 
still orbit the sun exactly as before.

The same goes for the MoQ. It creates a new intellectual reality since 
the MoQ theory is added to that sum, but it doesn't change anything else.

> At least Pirsig's QUALITY/MOQ "meta-metaphysics" is a grave
> violation of Phaedrus' insight, now HE postulates that Quality has been
> from eternity  - like Newton postulated that gravity has always been -
> but according to Phaedrus gravity was nowhere until Newton,
> consequently Quality was nowhere until Pirsig and the MOQ IS THE
> QUALITY REALITY. Anything else than this radical - strong
> interpretation - will leave the MOQ easy prey to SOM-based criticism.
>
> Doe this ring any bells with you Magnus, I'm not able to decipher your
> texts.

Bells, yes, but no new ones I'm afraid. It's just the same old:

"Gravity" and "the law of gravity" are two different things. Gravity is 
the inorganic version that has existed since the big bang. The law of 
gravity is the intellectual pattern that Newton formulated. Pirsig 
hadn't the tools he needed, the MoQ and its levels, to separate those 
two at the time he wrote ZMM.

And it's the same thing with Quality. It has always existed, in some 
sense even before the big bang I'd say. But the theory called MoQ is new.

	Magnus