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Single Idea 17584
[filed under theme 27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 2. Life
]
Full Idea
There are events of which it is neither definitely true nor definitely false that those events are lives. I do not see how we can deny this.
Gist of Idea
Some events are only borderline cases of lives
Source
Peter van Inwagen (Material Beings [1990], 18)
Book Ref
Inwagen,Peter van: 'Material Beings' [Cornell 1995], p.237
A Reaction
Very frustrating, since this is my main objection to Van Inwagen's distinction between unified lives and mere collections of simples. Some boundaries are real enough, despite their vagueness, and others indicate that there is no real distinction.
The
21 ideas
with the same theme
[what distinguishes life, and its value]:
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24063
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What is born has growth, a prime, and a withering away
[Aristotle]
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23302
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Plants have far less life than animals, but more life than other corporeal entities
[Aristotle]
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7280
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As all life is one, what need is there for words?
[Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)]
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5043
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To regard animals as mere machines may be possible, but seems improbable
[Leibniz]
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24122
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Life is forces conjoined by nutrition, to produce resistance, arrangement and value
[Nietzsche]
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4877
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Maybe plants are very slow (and sentient) animals, overlooked because we are faster?
[Dennett]
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17567
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A flame is like a life, but not nearly so well individuated
[Inwagen]
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17570
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The chemical reactions in a human life involve about sixteen elements
[Inwagen]
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17568
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A tumour may spread a sort of life, but it is not a life, or an organism
[Inwagen]
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17569
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Unlike waves, lives are 'jealous'; it is almost impossible for them to overlap
[Inwagen]
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17576
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If God were to 'reassemble' my atoms of ten years ago, the result would certainly not be me
[Inwagen]
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17580
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One's mental and other life is centred on the brain, unlike any other part of the body
[Inwagen]
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17581
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Being part of an organism's life is a matter of degree, and vague
[Inwagen]
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17585
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Life is vague at both ends, but could it be totally vague?
[Inwagen]
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17586
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At the lower level, life trails off into mere molecular interaction
[Inwagen]
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17584
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Some events are only borderline cases of lives
[Inwagen]
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9324
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From the teleopragmatic perspective, life is largely an informational process
[Gulick]
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7516
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In 1828, the stuff of life was shown to be ordinary chemistry, not a magic gel
[Pinker]
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20652
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In 1828 the animal substance urea was manufactured from inorganic ingredients
[Watson]
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20658
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Information is physical, and living can be seen as replicating and preserving information
[Watson]
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6126
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Life is Movement, Respiration, Sensation, Nutrition, Excretion, Reproduction, Growth (MRS NERG)
[PG]
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