Re: Other half of: The difference between organism and ecosystem...

[Dan Fiscus <***>]

John,

When you say "something like life" what would you
suggest we use? I think "open-ended evolution" a good
quality to use for comparison, to decide what is like
or not like life, pretty similar to "perpetual motion"
but more like perpetual intentional motion, perhaps.

Also, I continue to be inspired and perplexed by your
imagination and holism. Toward trying to grasp the
concepts and implications, can you tell me one or a
few ways in which your views suggest things for this
universe, and life as we know it, that could *help* us
(people, life, etc.) in real, tangible ways?

For "help" I use life values for what is good or what
helps, meaning to continue life, remain in open-ended
evolution, keep perpetual motion going, not die or
go extinct. But if you have other values basis besides
these I'd be open to pragmatic ideas for how to help,
do good works, based on your alternative values
system as well.

Some questions...seeking to understand...still waiting
for more on your pan-sensitivity, too...

Dan

janos nagyapu wrote:
> Judith, I commend you for your open mind. I kept
> preaching this for the past decade, since I wrote MY
> sci-fi of people from the universe with 3 poles: a +,
> a - and a third one. You don't know what that may be?
> nor do I or anybody in our universal system, but that
> is no restriction on my fantasy. Another universe...
>
> Water and other (terrestrial) circumstances are for
> the model of (scientific) biology, as I said earlier. 
> What leads me back to my question: thinking in
> generalities, is there something like "life"? can we
> ever step out from our reductionist models? 
> (This is definitely a post-RR question, negating the
> mathematical etc. biology as was known it for the past
> millennia on Earth. This one). 
> But it is definitely based on RR-type thinking.
> Cheerz
>
> John M
>
> (my computer is still on strike, I found this Yahoo
> mailbox to substitute for a more civilised one).
> I hope it tolerates my e-mail address and forwards
> this post). I try it anyway. Please try to use my
> regular address for a response. JM