Quote:
Originally Posted by FlorenceArt
I do believe we have a lot in common with all lifeforms on Earth.
We tend to concentrate on differences,
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Oh I agree - instinctively at least. But you do run up against the problem of saying what the difference is between a living thing and a non-living thing - unless you rely on some kind of "vitalist" philosophy - that living things are different from non-living things because the are, well, alive, they contain the "life-force" - which gets a bit circular. The trouble with vitalism is that whilst it is clearly nonsense it does seem to accord with our intuitions - an tomato is alive but this computer that I am writing on isn't.
So, here's your mission - should you choose to accept it - without relying on vitalism, say what the difference is between an living thing and a non-living thing.
