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Single Idea 20652

[filed under theme 27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 2. Life ]

Full Idea

In 1828 Wöhler, in an iconic experiment, had manufactured an organic substance, urea, hitherto the product solely of animals, out of inorganic materials, and without any interventions of vital force.

Gist of Idea

In 1828 the animal substance urea was manufactured from inorganic ingredients

Source

Peter Watson (Convergence [2016], 06 'Inorganic')

Book Ref

Watson,Peter: 'Convergence' [Simon and Schuster 2016], p.158

A Reaction

For reductionists like me, the gradual explanation of life in inorganic terms is the great role model of explanation. I take it for granted that the human mind will go the same way, despite partisan resistance from a lot of philosophers.

The 32 ideas from Peter Watson

20649 The interference of light through two slits confirmed that it is waves [Watson]
20650 The Uncertainty Principle implies that cause and effect can't be measured [Watson]
20651 The shape of molecules is important, as well as the atoms and their bonds [Watson]
20652 In 1828 the animal substance urea was manufactured from inorganic ingredients [Watson]
20654 Only four particles are needed for matter: up and down quark, electron, electron-neutrino [Watson]
20655 Humans have been hunter-gatherers for 99.5% of their existence [Watson]
20656 Traditional ideas of the mind were weakened in the 1950s by mind-influencing drugs [Watson]
20657 There are 23 core brain functions, with known circuit, transmitters, genes and behaviour [Watson]
20658 Information is physical, and living can be seen as replicating and preserving information [Watson]
20661 Electrons rotate in hyrogen atoms 10^13 times per second [Watson]
20647 Quantum theory explains why nature is made up of units, such as elements [Watson]
7461 The three key ideas are the soul, Europe, and the experiment [Watson]
7462 DNA mutation suggests humans and chimpanzees diverged 6.6 million years ago [Watson]
7463 The three basic ingredients of religion are: the soul, seers or priests, and ritual [Watson]
7464 The big idea: imitation, the soul, experiments, God, heliocentric universe, evolution? [Watson]
7465 Babylonian thinking used analogy, rather than deduction or induction [Watson]
7466 Mesopotamian numbers applied to specific things, and then became abstract [Watson]
7475 Confucius revered the spiritual world, but not the supernatural, or a personal god, or the afterlife [Watson]
7468 In ancient Athens the souls of the dead are received by the 'upper air' [Watson]
7470 During the rise of civilizations, the main gods changed from female to male [Watson]
7476 Taoism aims at freedom from the world, the body, the mind, and nature [Watson]
7474 Hinduism has no founder, or prophet, or creed, or ecclesiastical structure [Watson]
7471 The Gathas (hymns) of Zoroastrianism date from about 1000 BCE [Watson]
7473 Zoroaster conceived the afterlife, judgement, heaven and hell, and the devil [Watson]
7477 Modern democracy is actually elective oligarchy [Watson]
7478 Greek philosophers invented the concept of 'nature' as their special subject [Watson]
7481 The Israelites may have asserted the uniqueness of Yahweh to justify land claims [Watson]
7483 Paul's early writings mention few striking episodes from Jesus' life [Watson]
7479 Modern Judaism became stabilised in 200 CE [Watson]
7480 Monotheism was a uniquely Israelite creation within the Middle East [Watson]
7484 Jesus never intended to start a new religion [Watson]
7490 Because of Darwin, wisdom as a definite attainable state has faded [Watson]