On 04/07/07, MindInstance <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I would suggest focusing on definition of life first. Only then one can have a decent chance at getting the correct definition of death (absence of life). Life is not just a collection of atoms arranged into a special pattern. It is, at least, a spatiotemporal process guided by a special pattern. Also, it is not information about the pattern (data), but the process itself (activity).
OK
It's probably useful to think about life in terms of layers of abstraction. There's an implementation layer starting with atom layer, then neuron layer, and so on, that makes life possible, yet is not life itself. Life happens at the spatiotemporal "process layer" which means that details of implementation layer beneath process layer are not important as long as its function is preserved. Suppose you want to watch a movie. It doesn't really matter if the movie is fed by DVD player to CRT screen or by VHS player to LCD. This is implementation layer and it is almost orthogonal to the process layer of you reacting emotionally to the movie. Unsurprisingly, you and I are still *alive* even though our implementation layers undergo gradual replacement. I'm still alive because my process layer hasn't been disturbed by the changes at implementation layers (although it could, of course).
If the process stops, then life stops, but it restarts when the process restarts. You would say that there is no temporary stopping: the person who wakes up is a different person and the old person has died. But although I agree with your definition of life, I don't agree with your definition of death. I also believe you cannot consistently maintain that life continues through replacement atoms in the usual physiological manner but would not continue if a copy were made a different way. Why should it make a difference if 1% of the atoms are replaced per year or 99% per second, if the result in each case is atoms in the correct configuration? If 99% replacement is acceptable why not 100% instantaneous replacement? -- Stathis Papaioannou ----- This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to: http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=4007604&id_secret=10917763-6db0bc
