On Computers

Comments:

Evin Schuchardt -http://csce436spring2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers_20.html#comments

Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers.html#comment-form

Reference Information:
Title:  On Plants
Author: Aristotle 
Presentation: (Book) The Complete Works of Aristotle - Edited by Jonathan Barnes. Bollingen Series LXXI 2, Princeton University Press.


Summary:

On this writing, Aristotle starts by trying to determine if plants have a life. If they do, he states, this life is "hidden and not evident." However, in order to answer his first question, he must first resolve if plants possess a soul or not. He uses humans and animals as two basis of comparison in order to determine this dilemma. Some of the arguments supporting the idea that have souls are that they are influenced by desire, that they experience sensations, like sadness or pleasure, etc.

Aristotle considers first some of the main characteristics that would indicate that plants have a soul. For example, that plants take food because they desire food, that they feel pleasure and pain. Aristotle also presents the views of other philosophers like Plato, Anaxagoras and Democritus. 

Apparently, Aristotle believes that plants do not completely lack a soul, but do no have a complete soul like animals and humans do. Throughout the writing, Aristotle goes on explaining many details about plants, their growing characteristics under different conditions, the way they reproduce, and the way the produce their fruit. There is much detail about how different natural conditions, sun light, water, weather conditions, etc. affect the 'life' of a plant.

Discussion: 

I have always thought that plants have a life. I agree with the facts that can be proven with science about their growth, their necessities, etc. but I had never asked myself if I believed plants have soul. For me the soul is something spiritual, something you can't see, touch, nor feel. So this topic really got me interested in this question. Even though I am sure we could compare the inquiry of whether or not plats have a soul, to the issue discussed on the Chinese Room of whether or not computers have a mind, and because of my spiritual views, I MIGHT agree that plants have a soul, or at least partially, but not that computers have a mind.

For me plants are living things created in nature by God, so maybe they do have a soul. However, computers are created by human intelligence. Humans have worked hard throughout the recent past in order to develop this inanimate items. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, computers are a tool, we have created them with a purpose and functionality, and computers will not do more than humans want them to do. Our minds and brains, in the contrary, are able to think, create, and develop new ideas, because that is how we were designed by God.