What Life Is
It has been said: since there is no true condition described by non-existence then the universe can only have always existed. The physical universe is described by the word - reality: The non-physical universe is described by the word - imaginary. The fundamental substance of which the universe consists is described as being matter and its energy: there is no evidence that these are substantially different. Since the universe has always existed the matter and energy of the universe has likewise always existed. This fact demands that the naturally occurring relationships existing within and between matter and its energy have likewise always existed. The relationships existing naturally within and between real physical things are referred to as being the naturally occurring physical phenomenon of reality. Philosophically these relationships are studied by the science of metaphysics.
Real things can relate with one another only in ways allowed by their identities. Some of these relationships have been discovered and others remain yet to be discovered. (1) Some of these relationships don't result in change. (2) Some relationships are of an electro-chemical nature and (3) some of these are self-sustaining (that is they attract the energy resources from the universe necessary for their electro-chemical relationships to continue). And then (4) some of these relationships retain the by-products produced by its electro-chemical reactions where upon it grows and expands. The first is inert nature; the second includes all chemical reactions; the third includes the electro-magnetic gravitational subsystem that is necessary to identify these electro-chemical reactions as the "processes of life" and the last defines what a living-organism is.
The self-sustaining self-generated electro-chemical relationships know of as being the processes-of-life are a naturally occurring aspect of the universe and therefore; like the universe, have also always existed. Life describes a specific kind of naturally occurring eternally existing electro-chemical energy process taking place within the universe between the fundamental physical substance of the universe know of as: matter (and its energy). This is often referred to as the life-processes that are naturally occurring within all biological organisms. Life is innate action and this compels its earthly host to enact specific acts of self-preservation in its life's benefit. But within the universe the processes of life may be described by additional factors.
A. Life describes a self-sustaining energy process. Life attracts the energy resources from nature necessary for the continued functioning of its own electro-chemical processes.
B. Life describes an energy consumption process. Life consumes the energy resources it has attracted from nature.
C. Life describes a matter conversion process. Life converts the material energy resources it has consumed from nature into new substances which are then released back into nature.
D. Life describes a self-generation process. Life grows, expands and replicates itself by causing its host to perform specific acts of self-preservation and reincarnation
Humans have physical and intellectual components that must be in harmony and functioning "normally" if they are going to continue to survive. Like plants humans sense reality. Unlike plants humans must make judgments about what they are sensing. These judgments must be accurate; they must correspond with what reality is if man's goal is survival - and it is. When a human volitionally applies his mind to the task of interrogating reality by applying reasoned logic to it he will discover two fundamentally different things about what the nature of reality is: 1) things live and 2) things don't live.
Things that live possess an additional distinguishing characteristic which things that don't live lack. Humans hold as a fact of nature that this characteristic is the fundamental distinguishing characteristic of the physical universe. Humans comprehend since they are identified as a living-organism they then possess this additional distinguishing characteristic. This additional distinguishing characteristic is of such significance to both the fact of their living existence and the requirements of their continued existence that it has been assigned the word life in-order to gather more information about it.
Since life does exist as the first observed difference of the physical universe: And since all things of the universe are explained by whatever substance the universe actually consists of: And since; at the fundamental level, the substance of the universe is explained by whatever matter its energy and their electro-chemical relationships are: Then matter its energy and their electro-chemical relationships (at some specific point) explain what life is.
Humans must achieve the values their life processes require or these will cease functioning and its human host will die. This requires that humans think about what value is in-order to discover what their life processes require for their continued eternal survival. Metaphysically: Life is the fundamental distinguishing characteristic in the real universe. Epistemologically: Value is its intellectual incarnation. Value is the mental integration of what life's existence means to a living-things continued existence. Life is metaphysical fact; Value is its epistemological fact. The fact that life exists physically creates the fact that value exists intellectually. Life and value are as one.
Value is a dependent concept. Value is identifiable only by the fact that life exists. Value is dependent on life for its proper identification. Life is an end in itself; life describes what life is and requires. Life requires itself in-order to continue existing. The requirements of life are the values necessary for its continued existence. Here since the first requirement of life is its own continued existence; then, its-self is its supreme-value. Contrarily: If life is not the supreme in values this means that it does not serve ones purpose to act for the continued existence of ones own life. This being the case the life processes going on within oneself will fail and one will die.
Life requires that the electro-chemical processes it describes continue functioning. In the universe these are naturally occurring process; they will continue to occur as long as there is matter (and its energy). However within a living-being its life processes have become "dependent" energy processes. The processes described by life going on within living-beings are dependent on that being's "proper actions." And these are determined by the energy resources necessary to keep that being's life processes functioning. This is the principle of causality - The goal determines the actions necessary for its achievement. The identity of the actor determines what acts he is able to perform. If an actor's identity does not enable him to perform the actions required for the achievement of a particular goal; that goal will remain unachieved by that actor.
Helping other lives to achieve their goal of continued survival is not a necessity in-order for ones own life to achieve that same goal. The primary goal of life's electro-chemical processes is not the survival of other life processes; it is the survival of its own life processes. This is not to say that cooperating with another to mutual benefit is wrong. As a matter of fact mutually beneficial acts are good and proper human acts and ought to be undertaken; but only when a mutual benefit actually does exist.
Life is an absolute. This means that life is not; it cannot be considered to be, what it is not. Life can only be what it is. Aristotle put it this way: A=A. Meaning that life is (can only be) true to what its identity is: in-fact. This defines what a true thing is. When we say a thing is true we are saying that it is always what it is in relation to what physical reality is; it is a fact of reality. Statements about what is true about reality are called truths; or true statements about what is real; i.e., about what is factual. These are often referred to as factual statements.
Since life is absolute; purpose, meaning and value (when properly defined) are absolutely true. Since life is defined as a naturally occurring and eternally existing phenomenon of the physical universe; this says that it is not proper to re-define life as being or having purpose, meaning or value. It is only proper to say that these exist by the result of the fact that life does exist. Since your life exists: purpose, meaning and value result from that fact. You're life's existence validates that purpose, meaning and value do exist. All that reminds is to "properly" define these words.
I differentiate a "living" chemical-organism from a living-being by the word biological. In each case the life processes occurring within each remain the same. Life is a naturally occurring eternally existing electro-chemical aspect of the physical universe. In the case of a chemical-organism the processes of life occurring within it are not dependent on the physical characteristics of that "living" chemical-organism. However in the case of a living-being the life processes occurring within it are dependent upon the physical characteristics of its host.
Again: The means of survival for the life of chemical-organisms is not dependent on the physical characteristics of the organism. The processes of life occurring within chemical-organisms directly attract the energy resources from nature required for the continued functioning its electro-chemical processes. It is required that chemical-organisms possess some type of electro-gravitational system to attract the required natural resources for the continued functioning of its life processes. These energy resources are converted by its life processes into the structure (the body) of the chemical-organism within which they are functioning and upon which the organism grows and expands. The primary example of a "living" chemical-organism is our own sun.
Biological-organisms are sensual in their nature. The means for the continued survival of the life processes of biological-beings is dependent on the physical characteristics of the biological-organism. The life of a biological-being depends on the "proper" or "moral" actions (the virtuous acts) of the organism for the energy resources required by and for its electro-chemical processes. It is said that a biological-being must seek and acquire the energy resources from nature its life's electro-chemical energy processes require in-order to continue functioning. The electro-magnetic gravitational system possessed by chemical-organisms has evolved into the "energy-resource sensing system" which biological-beings must possess and to which they must respond in-order to supply their life's energy processes with the natural resources it requires from nature to continue functioning
You're biological-being evolved from the naturally occurring eternally existing electro-chemical relationships of matter and its energy in the universe which holds the definition of what a "living" chemical-organism is. In the universe life's continued existence is an absolute; it will always continue to exist. However; within your body life's existence is dependent upon you (its biological host) to act properly with respect to its needs of survival. Meaning you must "act properly" in-order to supply your life's energy processes with the values necessary for their continued functioning. This fact of survival for the life which biological-beings possess identifies what "proper" human action is. Meaning: It is proper for a human being to act to the benefit of the continued functioning of his own life processes. One either lives in accordance to what their life's energy processes require or they will stop functioning and that one will die.
Living biological-organisms evolved directly from living chemical-organisms which evolved directly from the processes of life occurring within the fundamental substance of the universe defined by matter (and its energy). Notice: The natural resources required for the continued functioning of life's electro-chemical processes remains unaltered wherever it is found (life is absolute). The idea of what a living-organism is must necessarily include the phrase "as it exists wherever it is found within the entire physical universe" if that idea is to be an accurate identification of "that which possess life." However: If this living-organism has evolved into a biological-being in the sense of what we call plants and animals here on earth then we must additionally specify that we are referencing a living-organism as being only those possessing life's electro-chemical processes "here on earth." For this is the extent of our current knowledge of what biological-beings are.
Visit any graveyard. Every person buried there did previously possess the energy processes described by life or they would not be there. Death (the loss of life's energy processes) cannot be discussed absent the life processes it references. However the definition of life describes a naturally occurring eternally existing electro-chemical phenomenon of the physical universe. Meaning that life has always existed in the universe and will always continue to exist; it is not only possible to speak of life apart from death it is proper to do so.
Now notice this very important fact: All biological-beings eventually die. What then does the concept of "proper" mean relative to this fact? Since it is a fact that every living-being here on earth will eventually die does this say that biological beings are not (cannot be considered to be) a "proper host" for life? Absolutely not! Why not? It is because of the principle of "proper action." What does the principle of "proper action" say? Proper action is any action that results in preserving the electro-chemical processes described by life. Every living-organism of the universe (which includes human beings) exists still by result of the principle of "proper action."
In each instance where a specific type of growing and expanding electro-chemical process exists; these energy processes are defined as the life processes of a living-organism. Living chemical-organisms are able to continue to exist simply because they possess some type of a naturally functioning electro-magnetic gravitational system which does attract the energy resources required for the continued survival of their life's electro-chemical energy processes. Living biological-organisms continue to exist because they possess a natural resource sensing system.
The principles of "Proper Action" are defined as those actions which result in the continued eternal survival of life's energy processes. And this leads to the identification of the "laws of nature." The principles defined as "The Laws of Nature" are determined by the physical characteristics of life's host. Again: The energy resources required for a living-organisms energy processes determine which actions are "proper" for their gain; and the characteristics of its physical nature determines if those actions are "natural" to it. Proper actions will continue to be defined by life's requirements as long as matter and its energy continue to act in accordance to their identity; and they always will. This says that the laws determining a thing's natural survival acts are discovered by observing that thing as it exists naturally (and in the case of humans; rationality) in the universe. Each living-organism's physical identity (and again in the case of humans; their rationality) determine the laws of nature governing the continued eternal existence of the life it possesses.
In each instance where life's processes are occurring within a biological-being this necessitates the identification of "additional" Laws of Nature if those life processes are to continue functioning for the remainder of eternity. This means that since biological-hosts do eventually die they must successfully perform some type of life preserving function prior to their death or; upon their death, their life's energy processes will vanish; forever. Upon their death the chemical by-products previously produced by their life's electro-chemical processes will remain but the life processes which produced them will stop functioning. Therefore it can properly be said that the continued existence of living biological-organisms does not depend on the continued existence of the life processes they possess: Contrarily; the continued eternal existence of life's energy processes which they possess depend upon their "proper actions" for its continued functioning. Therefore the reincarnation of their life by some type of procreation is an additional required "law of nature" existing naturally within all biological-beings on this earth and wherever else biological-beings may occur in the entire "living" universe.
The life processes of a biological-organism can be saved only when that living organism successfully creates another or an additional biological-organism directly from the living materials of its own body. This is the derivation of the word offspring. Living organisms spring-off (or produce) additional living organisms from their physical living existence. Human offspring are a direct result of the principle of "proper action" as it is applied to the requirements for the continued existence of the life possessed by human beings. Human beings result naturally from the joining together of a human egg and a human sperm. Sperm and eggs are composed of the matter and energy of the living being from which they originate; they extend that beings living existence into the future. Thus the product resulting from the "off springing" (i.e., the recreation; or the reincarnation) of their life by human beings is responsible for determining the proper definition of the words: purpose, meaning and value by demonstrating that a continuous living relationship exists between human beings and the naturally occurring eternally existing electro-chemical relationships of the universe which are identified by the word - life.
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