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Hey Pandas, What Do You Think Is The Function Of Life?
Hello everyone,
I'm currently working on a thesis that attempts to examine the phenomenon of consciousness and life purely from a physical and systems-theoretical perspective. Moving away from mysticism and towards thermodynamics, I call it the "Zero Hypothesis" and would like to hear your opinions on where the logical gaps lie or whether the model sounds plausible to you.
Here is the core idea in four points:
First: Function instead of meaning
We often search for a moral "meaning" to life. The thesis states: There is no moral plan, but there is a physical function. On a universal scale, life is a mechanism for energy conversion (thermodynamics). We are not "children of the cosmos," we are functional components.
Second: The origin as a reservoir
In the beginning (before the Big Bang), all energy was concentrated in one point (singularity). This is not a thinking "God," but a reservoir of pure potential.For energy to "work," it must flow. The Big Bang was the rupture of this reservoir.
Third: Consciousness as an Interface
Every living being, from rhubarb to humans or even extraterrestrial species, functions as a transformer. We channel the energy of origin into matter.The difference lies in the hardware. Plants have a simple interface, while we humans have a high-performance interface we call consciousness. It is not a product of chance, but rather the central tool for sensing complex reality.
Fourth: The "Self" as a Necessary Container
The ego is often described as an illusion. This is contradictory. The "self" is physically necessary. It is the system boundary (like the membrane of a cell). Without a stable "self," the individual would dissolve and could not generate friction (experience). The ego is the container that keeps us capable of action.
In conclusion, we are here to generate friction. Pain, joy, mortality are resistances against which energy rubs. We transform "potential" into "experience."
I'm interested to know: Does this purely functional perspective make sense to you? Or am I overlooking a factor that can't be explained physically?
Looking forward to the discussion!
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The demonstrable reality of evolution contradicts your vague, theoretical, undemonstrable statement “not the result of chance” (ie, the old argument from design for the existence of god)
It sounds like a reformulation of the anthropic principle
I myself do believe in God, but I do really like what you have to say. I find it very interesting. If I were to try to play devils advocate, I would wonder (and I could very well be reading this wrong or just missing something), if energy, in this system, is made out to be sentient or almost alive? The way it seems to me, energy is almost acting as a conscious actor like some kind of parasite, and I don’t think energy works like that. Because of that, we have three options: 1: introduce God, 2: make energy become God, or 3: explain how energy can order the world in just the way it needs to. Can’t wait to hear more.
I'll have to sleep on this. A a theologian I find it an interesting viewpoint. If the meaning of life is how we use the energy that flows and transforms in us... They talk about this more in islamic theology than in christianity.
That is fascinating. I approached this purely from a physics/logic perspective (entropy), but it makes sense that theology would have a name for this 'flow'. I'm not very familiar with Islamic theology – is there a specific concept or name for this idea that 'we are just transforming energy'? I would love to look it up to see if it matches my 'Ocean/Wave' analogy.
Load More Replies...I'll have to sleep on this. A a theologian I find it an interesting viewpoint. If the meaning of life is how we use the energy that flows and transforms in us... They talk about this more in islamic theology than in christianity.
That is fascinating. I approached this purely from a physics/logic perspective (entropy), but it makes sense that theology would have a name for this 'flow'. I'm not very familiar with Islamic theology – is there a specific concept or name for this idea that 'we are just transforming energy'? I would love to look it up to see if it matches my 'Ocean/Wave' analogy.
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