There is nothing less 'alive' than a virus as there is hardly anything in one. It's not uncommon for a virus to be a single strand of RNA surrounded by protein. So what motivates this single strand of RNA to do anything. Why should it not just sit there as one contented little molecule and ever 'do' anything. Yet viruses are one of the deadliest threats on the planet.
Motivation is a strong word as it implies self-awareness and a great many things. It's not my intention to get melodramatic with the idea but rather to observe a bug splat on the windshield of your car is vastly more biologically-complex than a virus.
The aspect of spirituality isn't a question of whether there is a God as I regard that one as mundane. Much more interesting to me is, assuming there is a God, how did he make it work. There is no obvious reason RNA should work, in effect to have a purpose. There doesn't appear to be any reason it should do much of anything.
I strongly caution on getting carried away with concepts of 'free will' or predestination or so. Just as with physics, one can have a glorious time discussing things and make little or no progress toward the actual question of just why some molecule of RNA wants to fuck me up to die in some hideous way.
My general view is viruses make so many copies of themselves that none of them actually 'find' you but rather they're spread all over the place by coughing, an Ebola victim's blood, etc. However, once you pick up that virus by breathing it, touching something, etc, the virus starts doing things. When a virus 'attacks' a cell, why should do that. It's still only one stupid molecule so why would it not just float around your bloodstream until eliminated by the body's normal processes.
As to whether this is idle speculation, the influenza outbreak of 1918 is estimated to have killed one hundred million people. One of the most chilling aspects to that is one of the most vulnerable age groups was young adults, exactly the group one would expect to have the highest physical resistance.
So the question stands: when the virus enters your body, why should the RNA do anything.
My personal philosophy behind this is there was a Creator who kicked all this into motion. The theology is how much he knew of what would come from that act, whether he started it and his job was done or whether there is a much tighter integration. That discussion is fine in terms of personal philosophy but my specific interest is in that which we can physically observe and what do we learn from that. Paramount to that discussion is the idea 'God does not play tricks' such as making dinosaur bones to fool the faithful.
The ones most likely to take offense or dismiss the question are Creationists and I don't intend to address that too much as the idea of ten thousand years of existence is just not scientifically-defensible. I'm almost sorry as it would be good to find the 'unified field theory' that makes all philosophies work but that one is impossible while at the same time accepting any other theories. So, I'm sorry if it causes any offense and hopefully it is acceptable it is not my purpose.
Motivation is a strong word as it implies self-awareness and a great many things. It's not my intention to get melodramatic with the idea but rather to observe a bug splat on the windshield of your car is vastly more biologically-complex than a virus.
The aspect of spirituality isn't a question of whether there is a God as I regard that one as mundane. Much more interesting to me is, assuming there is a God, how did he make it work. There is no obvious reason RNA should work, in effect to have a purpose. There doesn't appear to be any reason it should do much of anything.
I strongly caution on getting carried away with concepts of 'free will' or predestination or so. Just as with physics, one can have a glorious time discussing things and make little or no progress toward the actual question of just why some molecule of RNA wants to fuck me up to die in some hideous way.
My general view is viruses make so many copies of themselves that none of them actually 'find' you but rather they're spread all over the place by coughing, an Ebola victim's blood, etc. However, once you pick up that virus by breathing it, touching something, etc, the virus starts doing things. When a virus 'attacks' a cell, why should do that. It's still only one stupid molecule so why would it not just float around your bloodstream until eliminated by the body's normal processes.
As to whether this is idle speculation, the influenza outbreak of 1918 is estimated to have killed one hundred million people. One of the most chilling aspects to that is one of the most vulnerable age groups was young adults, exactly the group one would expect to have the highest physical resistance.
So the question stands: when the virus enters your body, why should the RNA do anything.
My personal philosophy behind this is there was a Creator who kicked all this into motion. The theology is how much he knew of what would come from that act, whether he started it and his job was done or whether there is a much tighter integration. That discussion is fine in terms of personal philosophy but my specific interest is in that which we can physically observe and what do we learn from that. Paramount to that discussion is the idea 'God does not play tricks' such as making dinosaur bones to fool the faithful.
The ones most likely to take offense or dismiss the question are Creationists and I don't intend to address that too much as the idea of ten thousand years of existence is just not scientifically-defensible. I'm almost sorry as it would be good to find the 'unified field theory' that makes all philosophies work but that one is impossible while at the same time accepting any other theories. So, I'm sorry if it causes any offense and hopefully it is acceptable it is not my purpose.
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