Cell Memories (Identity)

by dhw, Monday, October 21, 2013, 14:35 (4050 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: They all describe extremely precise changes "inherited" by the patient from the donor. Please read the anecdotes again.-DAVID: I have reread them. I had forgotten the details. They reek of species consciousness, in which Sheldrake has startling proof, and in which I believe.-Not as I see them, although I think there may well be a vital connection between the two phenomena. A little girl dreaming of the man who murdered the donor, a lesbian meat-eater who becomes vegetarian and is no longer attracted to women, a girl who completes songs she has never heard before, a woman whose food tastes change, a man whose music tastes change, a young man who uses a word that was made up by the donor ... these have nothing to do with species consciousness. They are individual characteristics and memories contained within the cells of transplanted organs and transferring themselves to other cell communities in the new body. The implications are staggering, but I will continue this line of thought under your very stimulating "Species consciousness" thread.-dhw; So when Shapiro talks of the "cognitive capabilities" of cells, describes even the tiniest cells as "sentient beings", and talks of "possible intelligent cellular action in evolution" he actually means cells are automatons. I have tried in vain to find out more about his religious beliefs, but so far as I can tell, his book Evolution in the 21st Century makes no mention of God preprogramming every evolutionary innovation into the first living cells. -DAVID: No his book does not talk of pre-programming, and I have no idea of the religion of his birth parents. His last name is Jewish, but he may not practice it. But he describes automatic biochemical reactions.-Of course, all biochemists will describe automatic biochemical reactions, since all living organisms (including ourselves) depend on automatic biochemical reactions. But there may be more to cells than automatic biochemical reactions, which may be why Shapiro describes all cells as sentient beings, and talks of the possibility that intelligent cellular action has a role to play in evolution. I'm not surprised that he doesn't talk of divine preprogramming of every single innovation from eukaryotes to humans. Do you know of any biochemists who do?