What Makes Life Precious or Miraculous

In the discussions of abortion, one often hears about the preciousness of life and that childbirth is a miracle or life is a miracle. “Precious” and “miracle” are fuzzy terms that need to be explored to understand how people can see things differently. This article does not explore how to respect preciousness or miraculousness, which would get us into a discussion of pro-birth vs. pro-life and pro-choice.

Preciousness

“Precious” means different but related things.

From a strictly biological, natural mechanical perspective, we're just a bunch of elements found in abundance throughout the universe — which is huge — that have combined in a way that allows life to emerge. That building blocks converge to “create” something is not a radical idea. However, the convergence of the right building blocks in the right amounts in the right conditions might be considered a rare event, and life, then, a rare result.

So in one sense, when something is scarce or difficult to obtain and it is valued for its particular qualities, it tends to become highly esteemed and sought after. Gold, for example, is referred to as a “precious metal” precisely because it is hard to come by and is therefore highly treasured. In addition to its scarcity, gold is highly valued for its aesthetic appeal, durability, and practical applications.

An argument for a living, conscious planet

This article is a follow-up to Planetary Consciousness. And note: my time writing documents while working at AWS has altered my approach to writing. It's a little drier and matter-of-fact. I'll try to regress with time, hoping that my writing DNA has not mutated.

What Does it Mean to Say That the Earth is Conscious?

The concept that the earth is alive is an idea that has been debated by philosophers, scientists, and spiritualists for centuries. Some argue that the earth is not only alive but that it also has a consciousness, much like a living organism, with a level of awareness, sentience, and perception beyond its physical components.

It is hard for us humans to think of consciousness apart from the nervous system of a living organism.  It’s like proximity bias, where we give greater weight or importance to things that are closer or more familiar to us; or confirmation bias, where we seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs (and ignore or reject alternatives). That makes sense: we have to start with what we know.

So let’s start with the idea that the earth is a living organism.

Arguments against the earth being a living organism begin with its makeup: at its core, it is just rock, minerals, and metals.  The Earth's systems such as weather, geology, and ecosystems are the result of physical and chemical processes that follow the laws of nature and are not guided by any kind of consciousness or intent.  From this dead sort of mechanical perspective, life on its surface is the result of natural physical and chemical processes.