Re: MD what is life?

From: Wim Nusselder (wim.nusselder@antenna.nl)
Date: Tue Nov 18 2003 - 07:19:15 GMT

  • Next message: Wim Nusselder: "Re: MD When is a metaphysics not a metaphysics?"

    Dear Nathan and Johnny,

    If you pull (living) things apart, the question whether the parts are still
    alive becomes a muddle.
    'Life' is essentially a quality of (biological) patterns of value. It
    denotes a way of reproducing a pattern of value. The relevant patterns of
    value are primarily species and secondarily ways of behavior and certain
    mechanisms that several species use.
    Even infertile human individuals are a result of the reproduction of the
    human species. By the time humans will be reproduced like thermostats, they
    have either become machines (reproduced by entirely external forces) and are
    not alive anymore. Or they are still reproducing themselves (be it in a
    completely different way) and the meaning of 'life' will at least have
    changed quite a bit from DNA-encoded reproduction which it is now.

    With friendly greetings,

    Wim

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