Species consciousness and instinct. (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, October 25, 2013, 01:42 (4048 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw: You love to bring in "epigenetic", as if somehow that erases the implications of "decision-making". .... An automaton can only obey instructions which have been given to it by its designer. It has no ability or decision-making capacity of its own.-Exactly. Shapiro views cells as having a read/write computer program so that they can respong to varying stimuli in type or intensity. This is how he veiws epigenetics.-
> dhw: An excellent analogy, except that information has no intelligence of its own. Intelligent beings like you (and sometimes me) go to the library to find information, and we then (hopefully!) use it intelligently. Your focus is always on the information, whereas mine is on the USE of the information.-You misunderstand the concept. The information the cells have is also the information of how to use the stimuli they receive to respond. There are responses based on the type and intensity of stimuli. They have all the information they need to proceed.- > 
> Life is indeed a continuous process, and so information gathering also has to be a continuous process. ....Automatons can only take preprogrammed decisions.-Exactly as explained above. Cells have read/write computer programs. That is why the ID love Shapiro. They all agree, and why Larry Moran hates him, he is such a threat.