[MD] e: Reading & Comprehension

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Bo]
That ZAMM needs to be revised to some extent to 
fit the MOQ is plain, why Pirsig refrained from doing this harmonization ??

[Arlo]
To the contrary, I think the harmony is there, 
and the SOL disrupts that... significantly.

[Bo]
I got no sensible answer from DMB what the 
Aretê-SOM transition spells in moqish except 
something feeble about dynamics being overwhelmed 
by "statics"  but its plain that no era was 
particularly dynamic ... except the level shift 
... and in this case it has to be intellect 
breaking off from its social bonds. Let me hear your explanation.

[Arlo]
I can't figure out what you are asking me here, 
Bo. I know I am only a small fry to you, so 
you'll have to make your questions more clear.

What the Arete-SOM transition spells in moqish?? What does this even mean?

"its plain that no era was particularly 
dynamic..." I think evolution within the MOQ's 
structure occurs not as a steady uphill line, but 
as a series of unexpected leaps that no one sees 
coming, followed by a time where stability is 
resought. This occurs within levels, in the case 
of evolutionary jumps in complexity (say amoebas 
to dolphins), and also in the case of an entirely 
new "paradigm" emerging (biological patterns from inorganic patterns).

Initially, and this holds true on every single 
MOQ level, the "new" level is "simplistic" 
compared to what it later becomes. The initial 
emergence of microbes over inorganic "matter" 
would be seen as the MOQ as the point where a 
new, morally dominant, level appears. But then 
over time patterns within each level grow in 
complexity. Those 
morally-superior-to-inorganic-patterns microbes would evolve into people.

I would also suggest that, true on every MOQ 
level, is the fact that the inital appearance of 
what we see now as morally superior patterns did 
NOT hold dominance over its foundational level 
immediately. Those microbes did not "dominate" 
the inorganic world. It was not until much, much 
later than more complex biological patterns would be able to make this claim.

Early "microbic" intellectual patterns appeared 
among humans long before any claim of  dominion 
could be historically claimed. By the time we get 
to the Ancient Greeks, the Sophists and 
Aristotle, they had evolved into a variety of 
complex "species". In the West, because of its 
particular history, the SOM-species attained 
dominance (this was the central conflict of ZMM). 
Pirsig's genius was in looking back and seeing 
that there were (are) competing species of 
intellectual patterns, and the inculcation in the 
West towards SOM was a self-imposed prison, that 
other species of intellectual patterns provided a better understanding.

I would go so far to say that the MOQ is 
represents inter-level evolution over SOM in the 
same way a dolphin represents inter-level 
evolution over a flea. Furthermore, the MOQ is 
itself an evolution from the earlier patterns of 
the Sophists. And I'd venture to guess that (if 
humans can refrain from self-annihilation for 
long enough) future humans may see even more 
complex, more evolved intellectual patterns 
following the Sophists-MOQ trajectory.