On Tuesday, September 25, 2012 7:27:43 PM UTC-4, stathisp wrote: > > On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 2:20 AM, Craig Weinberg > <[email protected]<javascript:>> > wrote: > > > Cells may not be only machines though, they are also self-organizing > life > > experiences. They have mechanistic characteristics as well, but they are > not > > defined as that only. Molecules aren't only machines either, but > different > > experiences are associated with different kinds of molecules. By > assuming > > that all things are only machines from the beginning, you beg the > question > > of whether things can be treated like machines. There are > thermodynamically > > irreversible processes involved. It would be like unburning a log or > putting > > water back into a wave. > > Metabolism involves replacing parts of cells that break down with > inanimate matter from the environment. The cells may or may not have > experiences associated with them but apparently this process preserves > the experiences. A car may have experiences and replacing the worn out > car parts preserves the car's function and may also preserve the car's > experiences. In what way is maintenance of cells fundamentally > different to maintenance of cars? >
The difference is that cells only metabolize when they are alive. A car was never alive so it has to be maintained externally and can't heal itself. The car is also not really one thing but thousands of parts assembled to act as if it were one thing. An organism is completely different in that it is really one cell which has grown and replicated through its own sense and motives into a body. The body isn't an assembly of cells acting like a body, it is a single organism on one level and many organs and organisms on other levels. Just because cells perform mechanical functions also doesn't mean that they are machines. Craig > > > -- > Stathis Papaioannou > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/everything-list/-/Tdu-_vYtcNUJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
