Some things are alive but not aware, eg vampires and lawyers. Some things are aware but not alive, eg bankers and drug-barons. Some things are aware and alive, eg dogs and devils. And all things -- alive, dead, aware, unaware -- are part of an organism that is alive and aware. That organism is named Reality. Also known as Everything -- past, present and future, material and immaterial, real and imaginary. Literally Everything.
NIGHTMERRIES: THE LIGHTER SIDE OF DARKNESS This so-called "book" will chew you up, spit you out, and leave you twitching and frothing on the carpet. More than 60 dark and feculent fictions (read ‘em and weep) copiously illustrated by over 20 grotesque images you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.
AWAREWOLF & OTHER CRHYMES AGAINST HUMANITY (Vot could be Verse?) We all hate poetry, right? But we might make an exception for this sick and twisted stuff. This devil's banquet of adults-only offal features more than 50 satanic sonnets, vitriolic verses and odious odes.
MANIC MEMES & OTHER MINDSPACE INVADERS A disturbing repository of quotably quirky quotes, sayings, proverbs, maxims, ponderances, adages and aphorisms. This menagerie holds no fewer than 184 memes from eight meme-species perfectly adapted to their respective environments.
MASTRESS & OTHER TWISTED TAILS, ILLUSTRATED: an unholy corpus of oddities, strangelings, bizarritudes and peculiaritisms
FIENDS & FREAKS Adults-only Tales of Serpents, Dragons, Devils, Lobsters, Anguished Spirits, Gods, Anti-gods and Other Horse-thieves You Wouldn't Want to Meet in a Dark Kosmos: 4th Edition
HAGS TO HAGGIS Whiskey-soaked Tails of War-nags, Witches, Manticores and Escapegoats, Debottlenecking and Desilofication, Illustrated
We had a discussion in one biology class about whether or not viruses qualify as life forms. I argue that they do, albeit not life forms that fit the criteria of the majority of life on this planet. They possess genetic material and they replicate, but they have no cell structure. I argue that our current scientific definition of "life" may need to be expanded.
I appreciate your writing because it allows for pondering so many things. Sometimes I feel I've lost that quality because I'm so harried much of the time. This brings it back to life!
Hi Cheesemeister, good to hear from you. To be honest the video is simply me indulging my dislike for lawyers, consultants and bankers: the lowest form of life, lower even than pond scum!
The issue of what is or is not Life is an important and fascinating one. I'm reminded of Spock's comment to Captain James Kirk of Star Trek, in relation to an unknown organism: "It's life Jim, but not as we know it" --- which is a very refreshing attitude in contrast to that of those scientists who have a very planet-bound chauvinistic view of what constitutes Life.
My personal belief is that there is nothing that is dead, that everything is alive, that there is no such thing as zero consciousness.
I believe the whole of Reality is an actual living organism, that was born, will die, will be reborn; that is aware and intelligent; that is growing and developing...
Actually, I should say "who is" not "that is".
Alongside the issue of what constitutes Life, is that of what constitutes a Person. I believe Reality is a Person.
I've written extensively on these topics in this blog, for example, under the label of "personhood":
http://cosmic-rapture.blogspot.com.au/search/label/personhood
Two posts in particular might interest you:
living arrangements and
getting personal
Thanks for your comments. Cheers, MM.
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Fucking fantastic, if you'll pardon my fast-feedback franchise.
Hi Antares, I hereby pardon your fast feedback franchise: please don't stop! Thanks for stopping by, MM.
Aware? Alive? These are tough questions no good (not no-good) con-servative should have to decide.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21934-north-carolina-tries-to-outlaw-climate-models.html
mgeorge, after reading the article my initial response was astonishment but then I remembered where and when I was, and I became astonished that I had been astonished!
What next? Ban all non-linear progressions as the work of the Devil perhaps? Let's take a long hard look at compound interest... isn't it evil that growth can grow even faster by cannibalising itself?
[Actually or apparently Reality itself is the ultimate free lunch]
Thanks for the link -- helped me raise a good chuckle on an otherwise gloomy day!
COMMENTS? Come on... gimme your best shot!