The Essence of Life is One

Is there a God? If so, what is She like?

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popeye1945
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Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 8:52 am
popeye1945 wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 8:22 am OK, we'll use your term for essence DNA, but I believe DNA is more the mechanics of the life processes, however, seeing as the word is not the thing and you know life as conscious experience, possibly we can get on with it. Hopefully, the realization that the essence of life across the board is one and the same, it will in its effect, trash humanity egocentricity. Perhaps essence could be formulated in, consciousness is life, life is consciousness.
We can have dna in a vial. Is that life?
https://www.bio-rad.com/en-se/education ... 1121004124
It seems the essence of life is something more than DNA. On earth life certainly all has DNA, unless there is a not yet found organism with just RNA. But DNA alone is not life. It must be active in very complicated processes with other organic compounds in an organism that.....and ending that sentence might complete the essence of life.

(also if we discovered organisms, say somewhere else in the universe or remnants on Mars, say, we'd call it life even if it didn't have DNA).

I think VA's sense of the essence is both incomplete and misleading. Incomplete because DNA is not enough, though I see he now added RNA, but misleading because life may indeed be based around other complicated processes with DNA. Scientists will not, for example, refuse to call something life if it doesn't have DNA YET shows certain qualities.
The essence of the thought really is, whatever it is, does it have its essence in commonality across the board. I think all the evidence says yes, but nobody seems to want to say it, and that is where egocentricity comes in, historically we have always tried to distance ourselves from the worm.
Iwannaplato
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Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Iwannaplato »

popeye1945 wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 9:25 am The essence of the thought really is, whatever it is, does it have its essence in commonality across the board. I think all the evidence says yes, but nobody seems to want to say it, and that is where egocentricity comes in, historically we have always tried to distance ourselves from the worm.
Oh, on that level, I am on board. I'm pretty animist (which is not just animals, but also pants) and panpsychist. So, I wasn't trying to find a way to distance myself from worms or anyone else. I just don't think DNA works as the essence of life. It is necessary, it seems, so far, for life on earth, as far as we know. But it is not sufficient, nor would most call some furry intelligent Gleebglob that got off a spaceship non-life if it's chemical care was some big chemical based on silicon or whatever. We can have DNA without life. Can we have life with DNA? We don't know. And some people are actually trying to make it, here on earth, right now.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 2:15 pm
popeye1945 wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 9:25 am The essence of the thought really is, whatever it is, does it have its essence in commonality across the board. I think all the evidence says yes, but nobody seems to want to say it, and that is where egocentricity comes in, historically we have always tried to distance ourselves from the worm.
Oh, on that level, I am on board. I'm pretty animist (which is not just animals, but also pants) and panpsychist. So, I wasn't trying to find a way to distance myself from worms or anyone else. I just don't think DNA works as the essence of life. It is necessary, it seems, so far, for life on earth, as far as we know. But it is not sufficient, nor would most call some furry intelligent Gleebglob that got off a spaceship non-life if it's chemical care was some big chemical based on silicon or whatever. We can have DNA without life. Can we have life with DNA? We don't know. And some people are actually trying to make it, here on earth, right now.
They have made the building blocks of life, amino acids in the laboratory, mimicking what they thought was the atmospheric conditions on earth at the time of the first instance of life. Panpsychism, I find that extremely interesting.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

No one wants to take a crack at forming a new mythology/religion, based upon the reality that the essences of all life is one and the same differing only in structure and form. What kind of psychological teak might that involve for humanity living in the real world instead of the many imaginary egocentric religious traditions of the present? Might the species take a giant step in its cognitive evolution, if it decided to live in the real world?
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