On 20 February 2014 09:24, Craig Weinberg <whatsons...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> You're assuming that precise molecular assembly will necessarily yield a >>> coherent dynamic process, but that may not be the case at all. If you put >>> random people in the proper places in a baseball diamond, and give the one >>> in the middle a baseball, they don't necessarily play a baseball game. >> >> >> If you're right then there would be something missing, something >> mysterious, and there would be evidence for it much simpler experiments than >> complete assembly of a human body. For example, you might be able to >> substitute some chemical on a cell for an equivalent chemical and observe >> the cell stop functioning even though everything seems to be biochemically >> in order. That would be direct evidence for your theory. It's scientifically >> testable. > > > What's missing is the entire history of experiences which relate to whatever > it is that you think you're copying. > > We don't exist on the levels of cells or molecules. If there were no human > looking down at cells in a microscope, and we had only the microcosmic > perspective to go from, there would be nothing that could be done to build a > human experience. No configuration of proteins and ion channels is going to > taste like strawberries to any of the molecules or cells. All of these > structures relate only to a particular level of description. If you copy the > sheet music of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" you don't know if it is the > Rolling Stones version or the Devo version, and neither could be predicted > or generated purely from the notes. That's your theory, but the theory should have some straightforward observational consequences. For example, if some of the matter in a cell is replaced in a laboratory, then the cell would stop functioning. This would confound the scientists because according to current theories it ought to function normally provided all the matter is there in the right configuration. -- Stathis Papaioannou -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
