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Meaning of life
In science, the meaning of life is a question revolving around the nature of purpose, reason, function, and or significance of human existence. Along with the questions of "what is love?" and "what happens to a person when they die?", it is one of the big three unsolved modern philosophical conundrums.
Thermodynamics
In philosophical thermodynamics, the meaning of life, from a thermodynamic point of view, is to react. [1] In this definition, is a point in relation to assumed difference between "life" and "non-life" that lies silently incongruent, which is that if humans are indeed molecules, a fact confirmed by standard molecular evolution tables, and if humans are alive, then by logical extrapolation, either all molecules are alive or no molecules are alive or only certain types of molecules can be appropriately defined as being alive. This is an interesting puzzle. Life from a human chemical perspective is best defined as series or sets of evolving, coupled, parallel biochemical reactions. The meaning of life, subsequently, is to react. On this definition, we might ask: what does it mean to react? Or, if something reacts, does that mean it is alive? These are fascinating questions with discernible answers.
The central answer is that it depends on a point of view. If one were a quark, for instance, then one would likely define other quarks to be alive. If one were a 36-element form of atomic-intelligence on a far distant planet, then one would not likely define human molecules to be alive, in an equivalent sense to themselves, similar to how humans view the “life” of 16-element bacteria molecules or the “life” of 3-element methanol molecules CH4O.
Human chemistry
In human chemistry, life can be defined according to a combination of the measure of reactivity in coordination with the energetic feeling associated with the "state", i.e. endergonic (life draining) or exergonic (life giving), of any given human chemical bond in a person's personal or social network. In other words, the rate of the reaction characterizes life, a phenomenon which can be characterized by dynamics of bond transformations. This type of classification again, however, comes down to a matter of point-of-view semantics. The advanced perspective, for example, would define all types of molecules, reacting or not, to be boson-driven atomic structures, the internal nature of which, would be classified a type of sub-atomic life (or sub-atomic dynamics). In chemical terms, the "measure of reactivity" correlates to the amount of force-driven animation the system receives by a heat source, such as the sun.
From a quantum chemistry point of view, an evolution or transformation state of life will ensue in a system of atoms and molecules when there is an energy lowering effect in the system. Two atoms form a molecule, for instance, because there is a lowering of the total energy when they come together. [2] Similarly, two 2-element molecules will come together and form a 3-element molecule when there is a energy lowering effect in the reaction.
This same logic builds up to include reactions between human molecules. To clarify, according to American chemical engineer Linus Pauling, “the configuration for the normal state of any molecule (such as a human molecule) is that corresponding to the minimum value of the energy function, i.e. the electronic energy of the molecule as a function nuclear configuration, which corresponds to the motion of the electrons in the fields of the atomic nuclei, a minimum which thus gives the molecule a maximum stability.” [3] In other words, molecules in a system will have the purpose or focused direction of evolving towards bonding configurations that satisfy quantum stability tendencies.
Human thermodynamics
In human thermodynamic or more specifically chemical thermodynamics terms, the evolution, or life process, of an isothermal, isobaric energetically coupled system of chemical species will proceed in the direction that tends to minimize the free energy of the system. [4] Subsequently, the “meaning” of the process of “life” revolves around the bonding interactions involved between the molecules of the system and the evolutionary work produced therefrom. [1]
See also
● What is life? (theories of existence)
References
1. Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume One), (preview), (pg. 128). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
2. Coulson, Charles, A. (1952). Valence. Great Britain: Oxford University Press.
3. Pauling, L. (1960). The Nature of the Chemical Bond, 3rd ed. New York: Cornell University Press.
4. (a) Gladyshev, Georgi, P. (1997). Thermodynamic Theory of the Evolution of Living Beings. Commack, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
(b) Avery, John (2003). Information Theory and Evolution. New Jersey: World Scientific.
Thermodynamics
In philosophical thermodynamics, the meaning of life, from a thermodynamic point of view, is to react. [1] In this definition, is a point in relation to assumed difference between "life" and "non-life" that lies silently incongruent, which is that if humans are indeed molecules, a fact confirmed by standard molecular evolution tables, and if humans are alive, then by logical extrapolation, either all molecules are alive or no molecules are alive or only certain types of molecules can be appropriately defined as being alive. This is an interesting puzzle. Life from a human chemical perspective is best defined as series or sets of evolving, coupled, parallel biochemical reactions. The meaning of life, subsequently, is to react. On this definition, we might ask: what does it mean to react? Or, if something reacts, does that mean it is alive? These are fascinating questions with discernible answers.
The central answer is that it depends on a point of view. If one were a quark, for instance, then one would likely define other quarks to be alive. If one were a 36-element form of atomic-intelligence on a far distant planet, then one would not likely define human molecules to be alive, in an equivalent sense to themselves, similar to how humans view the “life” of 16-element bacteria molecules or the “life” of 3-element methanol molecules CH4O.
Human chemistry
In human chemistry, life can be defined according to a combination of the measure of reactivity in coordination with the energetic feeling associated with the "state", i.e. endergonic (life draining) or exergonic (life giving), of any given human chemical bond in a person's personal or social network. In other words, the rate of the reaction characterizes life, a phenomenon which can be characterized by dynamics of bond transformations. This type of classification again, however, comes down to a matter of point-of-view semantics. The advanced perspective, for example, would define all types of molecules, reacting or not, to be boson-driven atomic structures, the internal nature of which, would be classified a type of sub-atomic life (or sub-atomic dynamics). In chemical terms, the "measure of reactivity" correlates to the amount of force-driven animation the system receives by a heat source, such as the sun.
From a quantum chemistry point of view, an evolution or transformation state of life will ensue in a system of atoms and molecules when there is an energy lowering effect in the system. Two atoms form a molecule, for instance, because there is a lowering of the total energy when they come together. [2] Similarly, two 2-element molecules will come together and form a 3-element molecule when there is a energy lowering effect in the reaction.
This same logic builds up to include reactions between human molecules. To clarify, according to American chemical engineer Linus Pauling, “the configuration for the normal state of any molecule (such as a human molecule) is that corresponding to the minimum value of the energy function, i.e. the electronic energy of the molecule as a function nuclear configuration, which corresponds to the motion of the electrons in the fields of the atomic nuclei, a minimum which thus gives the molecule a maximum stability.” [3] In other words, molecules in a system will have the purpose or focused direction of evolving towards bonding configurations that satisfy quantum stability tendencies.
Human thermodynamics
In human thermodynamic or more specifically chemical thermodynamics terms, the evolution, or life process, of an isothermal, isobaric energetically coupled system of chemical species will proceed in the direction that tends to minimize the free energy of the system. [4] Subsequently, the “meaning” of the process of “life” revolves around the bonding interactions involved between the molecules of the system and the evolutionary work produced therefrom. [1]
See also
● What is life? (theories of existence)
References
1. Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume One), (preview), (pg. 128). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
2. Coulson, Charles, A. (1952). Valence. Great Britain: Oxford University Press.
3. Pauling, L. (1960). The Nature of the Chemical Bond, 3rd ed. New York: Cornell University Press.
4. (a) Gladyshev, Georgi, P. (1997). Thermodynamic Theory of the Evolution of Living Beings. Commack, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
(b) Avery, John (2003). Information Theory and Evolution. New Jersey: World Scientific.
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