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From: grip@netcom.com (Lawrence E. Bryan)
Subject: Re: Life vs. metalife?
Message-ID: <gripCvp9D6.L23@netcom.com>
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References: <yLe4Rc2w165w@alcyone.darkside.com> <billt.22.00030422@rmii.com> <34dpscINNfd0@srvr1.engin.umich.edu>
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 1994 08:39:06 GMT
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Theodore C. Belding (streak@counter.engin.umich.edu) wrote:

: In article <billt.22.00030422@rmii.com>, billt@rmii.com (Bill Trowbridge) writes:
: > I'd rather say  it is a set composed of living organisms.  Other 
: > examples of such sets would include flocks, herds, tribes, corporations,
: > nations, and religions.  Each of these groups exhibits some "lifelike"
: > characteristics borrowed from its living members.  Still, the group 
: > AS A WHOLE ENTITY would not generally be considered alive.

: How would you classify a bee hive or an ant colony?  Or a Portuguese 
: man-of-war?  Are these exceptions?  To say that a group is generally not
: alive seems to beg the question of "what is a group in contrast to an
: individual"?
: -Ted

I agree totally about ants (and probably bees). All one has to do is 
consider the nest as a whole and think about it as a single living entity 
and the obviousness of this be comes very compelling. True it is a very 
different form in so many ways such as, for example, locomotion. An ant 
nest doesn't change it's position readily. But it does twist around a 
locus, expanding and contracting to rhythms of food and danger.

It's almost like those crazy 3-D pictures popping up all over. Once you 
let your eyes ( ideas) defocus, a new view (point of view) becomes apparent.

grip

-- 
Gitta wholed uv urcelph, butt doant fule wi thit.

grip
