From: Nathan Pila (pila@sympatico.ca)
Date: Sun Nov 16 2003 - 02:51:42 GMT
Hi there Steve,
Well, I would assert that the study of "life" is worthwhile even if it is an
illusion. Right now, a definition that is accepted by everyone has yet to be
formulated. How can one tell if some material is "alive". What properties
would such material exhibit?
How would you, (Steve)/ (or anyone else) /define 'life'? I am aware that I
am not being fair here in that this question is easy to state and terribly
difficult to answer. But if you have the time, I would be interested in some
of the properties that you think 'life' has. I have some views on the
subject based on some stuff I've read. But I would like to hear what you
write first.
Regards, Nathan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Peterson" <peterson.steve@verizon.net>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: MD out of our depth
> Hi Nathan,
>
> > The human mind ...
>
> I'll read "brain." You might consider a software/hardware sort of
> distinction.
>
> >...did not develop as a organ to solve philosophical problems.
>
> Agree.
>
> > Rather, it evolved for a very different purpose. In that it is like the
heart,
> > lungs, or kidneys; that is, the brain has a specific job to fill namely
to
> > simply enhance the reproductive success of the body within which it
resides.
>
> I agree. The brain is a biological organ that evolved to fulfill
biological
> needs.
>
> > This is the biological purpose of every mind, human as well as animal,
and
> > moreover, it is its only purpose.
>
> (I'm still reading "brain" rather than "mind") I don't know how you
> conclude that "it is its only purpose." Modern homo sapiens brains now
also
> serve social and intellectual purposes.
>
> Why not take a broader view of evolution? A brief history of the
world....
> Life evolved out of an inorganic physical setting which seeks stability
and
> balance and went off to serve its own purpose of preserving itself in what
> can be seen as a sort of defiance of physical laws as, for example,
animals
> move about and even fly rather than simply succumbing to the pull of
> gravity. Humans eventually created societies which helped to preserve
life
> and fulfill biological needs, but these societies have also found their
own
> purposes and continue to seek them in defiance of the law of the jungle.
> Out of established societies intellect evolved which at first had the
> purpose of preserving society and making life physically easier, but
> intellect too has found its own purposes in creating philosophy and
> literature and art.
>
> Each stage of evolution evolved to serve the purposes of lower stages but
> has gone on to serve itself. Each level is a moral code: the laws of
> physics, the law of the jungle, the morality of society, and the rules of
> rational thought. The value that holds an idea together is qualitatively
> different than the value that holds society together which is different
from
> the value that preserves life which is different from the value that holds
> physical materials together.
>
> Now I'm getting into the heart of Lila which I'd rather not do. It would
be
> better for you to read it than to for me to try to summarize. But I want
> to say that reducing intellectual and social experiences to biological
ones
> as you are trying to do is as absurd as trying to explain biological
> experiences with the laws of physics. If society and intellect like
> consciousness are merely emergent properties (like wetness as you say),
> isn't life also merely an emergent property that then doesn't really
exist?
> Are biologists also just deluded into thinking that there is something to
> study?
>
> Regards,
> Steve
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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