[MD] LC Comments

[Horse]

  Hi Magnus

On 11/07/2010 21:09, Magnus Berg wrote:
> Yes, when you start thinking in these lines, you get to a point where 
> there's simply no way out, without adjusting the levels as described 
> in Lila that is. Pirsig for example says that the border between the 
> inorganic and biological is drawn by DNA. Stuff that has DNA is 
> biological, stuff without it is not. Ok, simple enough, but way too 
> simple. Because that would mean that only stuff with DNA can become 
> intellectual, and would make any attempts at AI futile. But is that 
> really so unthinkable, that we some day learn what makes the human 
> brain so smart, and make ourselves a similar device? Then what? When 
> that happens, we must rethink the biological border, but why not do 
> that now? What's the harm? The DNA border is soo arbitrary, 
> earth-centric. Should really a universal metaphysics contain such 
> local processes. Isn't it very presumptuous to assume that all life in 
> the entire universe is based on DNA? 

DNA is information about life - it's not life itself. Biological 
patterns are self-replicating perpetuating patterns which emerge from 
inorganic patterns so I don't see any reason why life can't exist on a 
computer. Carbon based life uses DNA to transmit information about how 
to build and replicate living entities from the simplest single-celled 
creature up, so there is no reason to suppose that other alternate 
life-forms (not necessarily based on carbon) can't use something similar 
to DNA to transmit information about how build and replicate alternate 
forms of life.

Cheers

Horse

-- 

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
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