Week Six

How would you distinguish between living and non-living systems?
This seems to be largely a matter of perspective. From the perspective of a sub-atomic particle, could anything that it enlivens be considered more alive that dead? How about the bicycle in my back yard that is oxidizing as we speak, is that non-living? Everything is in a constant state of change, either being created or being destroyed and re-patterned and re-structured as something else.
Perhaps from the cellular perspective there must be, "a ceaseless flux of matter through a living organism. Each cell continually synthesizes and dissolves structures, and eliminates waste products."

We might be better off in the long run if we consider the possibility that a living magical energy animates everything we can lay eyes on and much, much more that we can't see. I fear we are like the fish in water who are searching for the ocean, it cannot be found because it is clear and we are in it and it is in us. I am really alive, do I actively engage in any autopoietic activities? or do they all happen for me? If I were responsible for beating my own heart, regulating my own hormones etc. I assure you, it would get put off or delayed by the snooze button. Clearly there is something larger at play here. I often chuckle when I hear speculation about whether life exists on other planets, of course it does, the whole universe is alive after all and we exist in it.

"DNA doesn't determine race. Society does". The human race is the only one I know of, but we humans do all manner of things to each other don't we? This discriminative function of the mind is always at work labeling, measuring and judging, add a little ego and the rowdy rabble and trouble will ensue. I think next to reducing poisoning and destroying the environment, working together to create a just world needs to be our next priority.