philosophy of science: meaning and functions (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, September 13, 2018, 05:36 (2263 days ago) @ Balance_Maintained

DHW:You talk of reproduction and spawn, the first direct creation and growing awareness, and you have agreed previously that the first life forms were single cells. If I have misunderstood the logic of this, I’m sorry, but part of our discussion entails clarifying our terms, so do please explain what you meant by the first direct creation, the spawn and the spawn’s growing awareness.

Tony: I'll respond more fully when I am back at my computer, but perhaps the most clarifying statement I can make is this: I agree that the first carbon basedlife were in the form of single called organisms. That doesn't preclude the possibility of life in other forms, such as living energy.

David: I hope you will explain what you mean by 'living energy'.

Tony: Ok, sorry about the delay. It's been a busy week.

So, I suppose we start by defining life, something that many can still not agree on. Let's point to some characteristics of living things:

• They are responsive to stimuli.
  
• They reproduce.
  
• They are informationally complex(DNA in carbon based life forms).
  
• They grow in some form over time.
  
• They manipulate energy in some form or another(consume/convert).

You'll notice I left out mention of cells, because it precludes other forms of life, and I also left out birth/death as they are not inherent to the act of living, but merely innate in our understanding of life because we experience no different scenario.

As a original source, energy could become more orderly and complex(grow), and develop the ability to respond. If the original source (i.e. God) created his first spawn, Christ, he would fulfill the other two requirements, thus meeting all the requirements to be called living, without the need to exist in a material form.

The idea of 'fullness' that DHW finds so confusing could be conflated with maturation. Just as how animal young and human youths do not reach their full potential until they have gone through and overcome trials and tribulations, so to must all things grow and learn. By responding to these challenges they grow to 'fullness' or maturity.

David: You are describing an immaterial energy being, which I have always felt describes God, pure energy in a living, thinking, planning form, which comes from my thought that only energy is eternal and represented by God. Thus this universe is a material product of that energy.

Tony: Indeed. What other concept fits the idea of God, regardless of the cultural origins of said deity? Every culture on Earth either has God as a 'spirit'(read energy) being, or as 'self' removed from the physical world. "Fear not those that kill the body, but can not destroy the soul". Matter/energy can neither be created nor destroyed by any process available to mankind.

Agreed