Here is an interesting recent treatment of autonomy. Alvaro Moreno and Matteo Mossio: Biological Autonomy: A Philosophical
and Theoretical Enquiry (History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences 12); Springer, Dordrecht, 2015, xxxiv + 221 pp., $129 hbk, ISBN 978-94-017-9836-5 STAN On Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 11:44 AM, Terrence W. DEACON <dea...@berkeley.edu> wrote: > AN AUTONOMOUS AGENT IS A DYNAMICAL SYSTEM ORGANIZED TO BE CAPABLE OF > INITIATING PHYSICAL WORK TO FURTHER PRESERVE THIS SAME CAPACITY IN THE > CONTEXT OF INCESSANT EXTRINSIC AND/OR INTRINSIC TENDENCIES FOR THIS SYSTEM > CAPACITY TO DEGRADE. > > > THIS ENTAILS A CAPACITY TO ORGANIZE WORK THAT IS SPECIFICALLY CONTRAGRADE > TO THE FORM OF THIS DEGRADATIONAL INFLUENCE, AND THUS ENTAILS A CAPACITY TO > BE INFORMED BY THE EFFECTS OF THAT INFLUENCE WITH RESPECT TO THE AGENT’S > CRITICAL ORGANIZATIONAL CONSTRAINTS. > > On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 6:00 PM, Koichiro Matsuno <cxq02...@nifty.com> > wrote: > >> On 19 Oct 2017 at 6:42 AM, Alex Hankey wrote: >> >> >> >> the actual subject has to be non-reducible and fundamental to our >> universe. >> >> >> >> This view is also supported by Conway-Kochen’s free will theorem >> (2006). If (a big IF, surely) we admit that our fellows can freely exercise >> their free will, it must be impossible to imagine that the atoms and >> molecules lack their share of the similar capacity. For our bodies >> eventually consist of those atoms and molecules. >> >> >> >> Moreover, the exercise of free will on the part of the constituent >> atoms and molecules could come to implement the centripetality of Bob >> Ulanowicz at long last under the guise of chemical affinity unless the case >> would have to forcibly be dismissed. >> >> >> >> This has been my second post this week. >> >> >> >> Koichiro Matsuno >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> *From:* Fis [mailto:fis-boun...@listas.unizar.es] *On Behalf Of *Alex >> Hankey >> *Sent:* Thursday, October 19, 2017 6:42 AM >> *To:* Arthur Wist <arthur.w...@gmail.com>; FIS Webinar < >> Fis@listas.unizar.es> >> *Subject:* Re: [Fis] What is “Agent”? >> >> >> >> David Chalmers's analysis made it clear that if agents exist, then they >> are as fundamental to the universe as electrons or gravitational mass. >> >> >> >> Certain kinds of physiological structure support 'agents' - those >> emphasized by complexity biology. But the actual subject has to be >> non-reducible and fundamental to our universe. >> >> >> >> Alex >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Fis mailing list >> Fis@listas.unizar.es >> http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis >> >> > > > -- > Professor Terrence W. Deacon > University of California, Berkeley > > _______________________________________________ > Fis mailing list > Fis@listas.unizar.es > http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis > >
_______________________________________________ Fis mailing list Fis@listas.unizar.es http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis
