Bottom-up To Humanity IV - Molecules

Given enough time, atoms and other more basic particles (1) subject to varying conditions and sheer randomness produced by accident structures even more stable than the atoms themselves. As before, this further level of stability means not only internal stability but also greater resistence to interference by other particles.
Form protons neutrons and electrons to atoms and then to molecules (and besides the obvious increase in size), what becomes apparent is an increase in stability.
I find it relevant to emphasize here that at this level (at least!) there is no suggestion of function, or purpose in these structures. They just behave (2).

(1) The appearance of more complex structures does not necessarily mean that all the simpler structures are aggregated in such a way. In fact, they aren't.
(2) My own atoms and molecules are like these. They have no purpose, they have no function. They just behave the way they do, and that's very fortunate indeed. Acting together, inexorably behaving as they do, they keep me alive, in a most extraordinary and unlikely balance. It is hard to imagine that something like this could have happened by pure accumulation of accidents. Or is it? :-)

Bottom-up To Humanity III - Atoms

We use the word atom to designate an aggregation of neutrons, protons, and electrons which form a stable structure. They have become common because, by definition, stable structures tend to survive longer than unstable structures.
This stability is very convenient for us as observers. We can trust that within certain conditions atoms behave in well-known ways, allowing us to abstract much of the hidden complexity. In fact, there's nothing new here - pretty much the same happened when we considered protons, neutrons and electrons as basic units.

I was just trying to find a nice explanation for the origin of atoms when I found the The History of Evolution page at the Principia Cybernetica Web. Looks interesting, but it didn't have the details I needed though.

Bottom-up To Humanity II - Neutrons, protons, and electrons

At a low level of analysis of the physical world, there are neutrons, and protons, and electrons. We know these apparently basic particles are themselves composed of still smaller particles, quarks, etc., although I hope that such level of detail will not be needed here (1).
At this level, we see particles move and interact. The complexity is overwhelming, since the sheer number of entities is colossal. Their individual behavior and their interactions, however, follow precise patterns (2) that can be understood. It is this property that allows us, at least to a certain extent, to ignore what they are composed of, and treat them as units.

(1) And that is a good thing since I don't really know much about them...
(2) It is worth noting that these patterns have been called "laws", although nothing suggests that there is a purpose in them.

Bottom-up To Humanity I

One problem I have faced in trying to reach an understanding of what I am and what I am doing here is the top-down approach usually taken. It's the high-level concept of Me that I'm familiar with, so it's a natural tendency. :-)

I will try to invert that tendency here, hoping that by putting together limited scientific knowledge, honest and logic reasoning, and courage to ignore any undesirable consequences of the conclusions reached, some truth may be found.

I mean to post a series of articles titled "Bottom-up To Humanity" because I know if I try to do it in one go, then I will never do it... :-)

In a quick search in Google I just found the article "Cross-Explanatory Reductionism" in the site Counterbalance Meta Library. It seems to be where I'm heading. The views on this site may be biased so this is in no way an endorsement of the site's content. But at least superficially it seemed to show several views on plenty of subjects and looks like a quite interesting site.

News - UK Scientists Say Allowed to Clone Human Embryos

Reuters - August 11th, 2004

British scientists said on Wednesday they had been granted permission to clone human embryos for medical research, thought to be the first such license given in Europe.
Researchers at the University of Newcastle in northern England will be allowed to create embryos as a source of stem cells to cure diseases after being given permission by the government's regulator, a spokeswoman for the university said.