From: August West (augustwestd@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Nov 17 2003 - 19:56:24 GMT
Nathan... All,
life is existance.
-August
--- Nathan Pila <pila@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> 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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>
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