False question, reconsidered
Update on a recent post asking "What is [the meaning of] life?"
I’ve done some more thinking on this question. I realized that I responded mainly to the structure of the question, which, with any other topic, would fully deserve such distinctions.
But, if I assume that the question-asker would agree with me that this isn’t a validly formed question with any other topic, then I agree with the formulation of the question.
Life is the only thing that can give any thing meaning. It is the only thing "pursued" for the sake of itself, whether you’re a slime-mold (which I’m told are exceedingly interesting) or a human. Obviously, life has value for the thing that is living. And human life (and other animal life similar to ours) is the only thing that can give anything conceptual meaning. The meaning of the words poignant, beautiful, horrific, and inspiring (etc.) are only possible to those living things with advanced conceptual faculties, because the meaning captured by these words entails value-judgements. Value entailing life in some way, and judgement requiring a mind capable of judging. I’m in no way convinced that any other animal can make self-conscious value-judgements of this magnitude. But I see no immediate ramifications if this is shown not to be the case. Man, how I would like to (try to) interview a Homo erectus. Or even a Cro-magnon or early Neanderthal. What were there language faculties like?
This last paragraph of course gets us into the question of non-human conceptual faculties. I think it’s quite probable that many mammals can form rudimentary concepts. What percentage of human development (if you want to put it that way) these non-human cognitive faculties represent, though, I have no idea, though I think all but a couple must be very low, and even the runners-up (gorilla, chimp, perhaps dolphin, and it trails off quickly after that, with dogs, some birds, and maybe cephalopods being very interesting possibilities) are a distant second to humans. No getting around it.
But I really do wonder what cognitive aspects are simply a matter of degree between humans and these other animals, and what features of human cognition really are unique. Language, and what it represents cognitively, is very important I think, as well as long-term thinking and actively conceptualizing the future, which entails (though not fully) the ability to extensively introspect. Is the ability to think about thinking a trait of only humans? At what point in our history did it arise?
Thoughts, Jenna?
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