Hi Dave
At the risk of misinterpreting what Ian's saying, I think what he means
is that, as a generalisation, 'life' is the next step up from 'matter'!
What we know as life is based around the double helix and involves DNA,
genes, proteins etc. but this is only one possible way that life may
have emerged.
It's a big universe and we only have a sample of one at the present time
so to say that life = DNA is a big step in the wrong direction cos we
just don't know about other ways in which life may come about.
The MoQ makes a huge (and IMO correct) generalisation that
organic/biological patterns follow on from inorganic patterns.
Terrestrial life is a specific instance of biological patterns of value
- there may be other specific instances in other parts of the universe.
What those instances should follow though, if the MoQ is correct, is
that they share the same patterns of reproduction, feeding etc. that
Pirsig points out in his work.
Closer to home, it may be that at some point there will be other forms
of life that exist but that their environment and context will be
different. Artificial (or virtual) realities could well contain life
(and may already) - it just depends on how you want to define and
identify it.
A metaphysics needs to be a generalisation that can be applied to all
situations and contexts regardless of specifics - the specifics should
conform to the general theory of what constitutes what is and isn't 'real'.
Cheers
Horse
On 01/02/2014 23:50, david wrote:
Ian said:
The distinction between levels 1 and 2 is "life" - not necessarily organic
life, or DNA-based organic life, that just happens to be the most-obvious form in the
circumstances of human history.
Andre replied:
Can you enlighten us with your knowledge of life that is not 'necessarily
organic life' i.e. DNA 'based' life? Just interested in the non-obvious.
dmb says:
I was wondering about Ian's strange claim too. Since "organic" means "of life, related to
life, derived from living matter", it's hard to imagine what non-organic life would mean. DNA-based life
isn't just the most obvious kind, I think, but rather the only kind we know of. Isn't that why a virus is
considered a borderline case, because it only "lives" by highjacking the DNA of more proper
organisms?
In any case, I can only wonder what Ian is referring to.
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