Life is simply the reification of the process of living.
Interpretation
Life is a manifestation of the ongoing process of living.
This quote by Ernst Mayr suggests that life is not merely a static state or condition, but rather a reflection of the continuous and dynamic process of living itself. It emphasizes that our experiences, actions, and choices shape the essence of what it means to be alive, highlighting the importance of ongoing engagement with the world around us.
In practice
In a discussion about the meaning of life during a philosophy class.
The most consequential change in man's view of the world, of living nature and of himself came with the introduction, over a period of some 100 years beginning only in the 18th century, of the idea of change itself, of change over periods of time: in a word, of evolution.
Evolution, thus, is merely contingent on certain processes articulated by Darwin: variation and selection. No longer is a fixed object transformed, as in transformational evolution, but an entirely new start is, so to speak, made in every generation.
There are a number of attributes of species and populations that are not of any particular selective advantage to any single individual in a population but that are of great advantage to the population as a whole.
Wherever we look at the living biota … discontinuities are overwhelmingly frequent…The discontinuities are even more striking in the fossil record. New species usually appear in the fossil record suddenly, not connected with their ancestors by a series of intermediates.
Evolution ... is opportunistic, hence unpredictable.
If the Bible is not the Word of God and inspired, the whole of Christendom for 1800 years has been under an immense delusion; half the human race has been cheated and deceived, and churches are monuments of folly. If the Bible is the Word of God and inspired, all who refuse to believe it are in fearful danger; they are living on the brink of eternal misery. No man, in his sober senses, can fail to see that the whole subject demands most serious attention.
How loved, how honored once, avails thee not, To whom related, or by whom begot A heap of dust alone remains of thee 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be!
We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Not only the words (vocabula) which the Holy Spirit and Scripture use are divine, but also the phrasing
I am an absolute pacifist...It is an instinctive feeling. It is a feeling that possesses me, because the murder of men is disgusting.
I think that the present is worth attention, one shouldn't sacrifice it to future conceptions of, of this future or that future.
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