LS The Self and other Matters:


clark (clark@netsites.net)
Wed, 3 Dec 1997 03:01:19 +0100


Bo and Platt and lila squad,
  You have given me so much to think about I don't think I can get it all
into one message. I think I'll just stick to the inorganic level for this
message. That will probably give me enough ripping to last a while.
  Bo, I finished giving your Quality Event papers a closer reading last
night and I think I have the gist of what you're saying. Probably need
several more readings to milk it all out.
  Platt,I think we are not far apart, The question "Why Survive" seems to
be well covered by Dharma but I need some time to think it over because I
like more concrete answers. Something I can explain to a sixth grader. I
would like to have a physical answer which I don't have at the moment.
  Let me give you two my slant on at least the inorganic level this
morning.
  If we accept the current explanation of the origin of the Universe we see
that the explosive expansion of the original naked singularity (?) resulted
in a level of energetics being reached that established a distribution of
the elements that was approximately 75% Hydrogen and 25% Helium. This state
of affairs led to the clumping of this relative distribution of elements
into congregations of matter that roughly determined the ultimate life of
the Universe. (Quality at work?) This is so because the rate of reaction
Hydrogen into Helium is comparatively slow and this made the route to
randomness also relatively slow. When some of these congregations of
matter ran short of Hydrogen, that is, when they made the list of the
elements up to Iron (which requires too much energy input to form) the
congregation of matter exploded and thus supplied the necessary energy to
complete the list of elements up to the radioactive elements, or, up until
the heavier elements would no longer hold together because of internal
stresses. (Quality?)
  Due to gravity, just enough of this distribution of the elements clumped
together to form the Earth. Too much and thermonuclear reaction would
attempt to start again (no water and stuff), Too little and the Earth would
not have enough Gravity to hold an atmosphere. (Again Quality?) As the
Earth cooled, there formed an organic soup (remember, we have all the
elements) rich in Amino Acids, (Amino Acids have been found in meteorites
striking the Earth)which supplied the basic food stuff to support life.
(Quality?) (formation of the presumed organic soup has been demonstrated by
Miller and Urey. Basically used a flask filled with the proper elements and
subjected it to sustained electrostatic discharges.) Once the Organic Soup
had formed, energy input from the sun or generated locally, or both, caused
various organic molecules to form. With enough shots there must have formed
a congregation of organic molecules, an anaerobic fermenter, that was
capable of sustaining itself from the surrounding organic soup. This stage
was not sustainable because it would have eventually run out of food. The
next, and vital, step in the process was the transformation of this
anaerobic fermenter into a self sustaining organism that could use the
energy of the Sun in the process of photosynthesis to create its own
foodstuff. Mainly sugars and stuff. Do you see that each step in this
process lengthened the pathway to randomness so that more time was allowed.
The ultimate time limit thus is the lifetime of the Sun. The formation of
the Autotrophs, in principle, made Gaia's lifetime equal to the life of the
Sun. (more Quality at work?) Also, not an impossible leap to Bo and Platt
and the Lila Squad.
  I do not think that we need to concern ourselves unduly with the
discontinuities of energy in the atomic shells or deeper within the nucleus
within the Planck distance and time. We know that the results of these
discontinuities are extremely predictable. Our Television set does not turn
into an exercycle overnight.
  Now, if this process adequately describes what happened, even if it is
not precisely correct, is this a picture of pure chance or is it something
like Quality at work. It seems to me to not be pure chance because, given
the starting conditions, the outcome is not surprising. The mysterious part
is the starting conditions themselves. The application of the concepts of
Physics shows us how the charges involved in the atomic structure makes the
atomic concept very believable. This only leaves the question,"Who is the
original Physics Guy, or Gal, excuse me, that designed the atomic
relationships in the first place." We (not me, but some people) are still
working on this question. As of now we can blame it on just about anybody
we want to as I see it. I prefer a purely Physical explanation but I don't
know how to rebut other explanations. If you bring in God please don't make
him the God of the Methodist Church in Kemp, Oklahoma where I grew up. Bo
and Platt and Lila Squad, let me know what you think. Have I overlooked
something? Am I nuts? The inorganic level is all I can stand right now.
Diane wants us to get this stuff sorted out. I don't think I am helping.
Ken

--
post message - mailto:lilasqd@hkg.com
unsubscribe/queries - mailto:diana@asiantravel.com
homepage - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/4670



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu May 13 1999 - 16:42:25 CEST