The Rational Animal
153
entirely is that the practical use of symbols is almost universal among living
animals, and is necessary for their survival, as discussed in this section. We
keep searching for the one crucial attribute which sets us apart from all other
species. Each time we believe we have found it, we soon learn that other species
have the same attribute.
The Emergence of Life
Mind is immanent in every living form, from microbe to man. Indeed, life
itself is widely considered to be a cognitive process. The Chilean biologist
Humberto Maturana stated this directly: “Living is a process of cognition.”
(Cognition refers to processes of acquiring and organizing sensory inputs so
that they can serve as guides to successful action.) According to Maturana, the
essential biological function of every living organism is self-maintenance: The
organism, for example a single cell, lies in an environment whose forces are
continually acting to disrupt the integrity of the cell. In order for the cell to
remain alive, its chemical factory is at work maintaining its inner equilibrium,
and constantly replacing the essential ingredients of which it is constituted,
which are being broken down by external influences. In order to do this, the cell
is continually processing mechanical and chemical information, and issuing
orders to all parts of its chemical factory.
The connection of life to sophisticated information processing is a recent
insight of biologists. This perspective has been described in several books by
Maturana and the biologist Francisco Varela. The same idea is expressed by
Daniel Dennett in the following thought: An entity comes into existence
with behavior designed to fend off its dissolution. The creature thus comes
to have its own interests and goals. Purposeful behavior starts with the first
macro-molecules having enough complexity to do things. Thus, for Dennett,
purposefulness is born with the first molecules that replicate. 4
For the eminent philosopher of biology Ruth Millikan, the distinguishing
characteristic of living organisms is that they are intentional agents. The activity
of every living being is directed toward the achievement of specific goals. It may
be that every organism has original intentionality, but it is also possible that
original intentionality is rooted in evolution—in the scheme of life itself—
and that the activity of living individuals is covertly animated by the original
intentionality that exists in the enterprise of life at its very foundation.
Recognizing the fact that mind is present in the very simplest living forms
is of huge importance. The eminent American biologist Lynn Margulis goes
even further: She writes of “microbial consciousness” and the “conscious cell”. 5
153
entirely is that the practical use of symbols is almost universal among living
animals, and is necessary for their survival, as discussed in this section. We
keep searching for the one crucial attribute which sets us apart from all other
species. Each time we believe we have found it, we soon learn that other species
have the same attribute.
The Emergence of Life
Mind is immanent in every living form, from microbe to man. Indeed, life
itself is widely considered to be a cognitive process. The Chilean biologist
Humberto Maturana stated this directly: “Living is a process of cognition.”
(Cognition refers to processes of acquiring and organizing sensory inputs so
that they can serve as guides to successful action.) According to Maturana, the
essential biological function of every living organism is self-maintenance: The
organism, for example a single cell, lies in an environment whose forces are
continually acting to disrupt the integrity of the cell. In order for the cell to
remain alive, its chemical factory is at work maintaining its inner equilibrium,
and constantly replacing the essential ingredients of which it is constituted,
which are being broken down by external influences. In order to do this, the cell
is continually processing mechanical and chemical information, and issuing
orders to all parts of its chemical factory.
The connection of life to sophisticated information processing is a recent
insight of biologists. This perspective has been described in several books by
Maturana and the biologist Francisco Varela. The same idea is expressed by
Daniel Dennett in the following thought: An entity comes into existence
with behavior designed to fend off its dissolution. The creature thus comes
to have its own interests and goals. Purposeful behavior starts with the first
macro-molecules having enough complexity to do things. Thus, for Dennett,
purposefulness is born with the first molecules that replicate. 4
For the eminent philosopher of biology Ruth Millikan, the distinguishing
characteristic of living organisms is that they are intentional agents. The activity
of every living being is directed toward the achievement of specific goals. It may
be that every organism has original intentionality, but it is also possible that
original intentionality is rooted in evolution—in the scheme of life itself—
and that the activity of living individuals is covertly animated by the original
intentionality that exists in the enterprise of life at its very foundation.
Recognizing the fact that mind is present in the very simplest living forms
is of huge importance. The eminent American biologist Lynn Margulis goes
even further: She writes of “microbial consciousness” and the “conscious cell”. 5