Re:A biologist who believes that trees speak a language we c...
by SketchySeaBeast on Thursday July 12, 2018 @09:58AM
(#17514608)
I think the dividing line is deliberate communication - a dog barks because it "wants" to communicate. But then the counter-argument rejects the will, and comes down to "aren't all our actions because of basic chemistry?". I reject that assumption - not because there's a some sort of supernatural element, but just because a whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. There's a massive rift between "sun makes tree grow, preventing other trees from getting the light" and "I'm trying to sell my wares by expressing concepts of value, numbers, and desire".
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Re:A biologist who believes that trees speak a language we c...
by bobmichael on Thursday July 12, 2018 @10:31AM
(#17514968)
I think the level of complexity is so different between these two examples that we perceive them as conceptually separate, but it is still possible that in absolute terms the same laws are being applied.
It could be that as humans we do not have enough intellectual power to understand the second example in terms of these laws. But then it could be argued that this is exactly what makes these two examples fundamentally different, since all human knowledge is limited by our intellectual capabilities.
Re:A biologist who believes that trees speak a language we c...
by erydo on Thursday July 12, 2018 @10:33AM
(#17514982)
> There's a massive rift between "sun makes tree grow, preventing other trees from getting the light" and "I'm trying to sell my wares by expressing concepts of value, numbers, and desire".
Like a tree bearing bright red, juicy-looking fruits filled with sugar and vitamins?
Re:A biologist who believes that trees speak a language we c...
by SketchySeaBeast on Thursday July 12, 2018 @10:49AM
(#17515147)
Are you arguing that's communication, or somehow driven by a tree's desires?
Re:A biologist who believes that trees speak a language we c...
by koliber on Thursday July 12, 2018 @12:23PM
(#17516102)
Arguably, you could say that it is driven by evolutionary pressure. Could you convince me that the term "evolutionary pressure" is a form of desire? I don't know. Does desire require consciousness? Are trees conscious?