WK 6:

How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?
I think of non-living systems as static: not involving digestion,
growth, or reproduction. i think a living system must exist of cellular structures that are replicating and adapting. yes, there should be some "pattern of organization" that maintaines both the structural and funcational characteristics
of the cell-based components. almost everything in this world is alive! i would argue that even some things that are not cellular-- like basic molecules are alive in some way because they contain Energy and can react with one another. some, like hydrogen and oxygen are necessary for human life to persist, so in an essence aren't some combination of molecules living systems?

What so you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?
I think that it can be a reflection for us to understand the learning process of humans more. Becuase of the human ego, i think that we often place our process above other species'. these experiments give us a chance to see that some of our
traits are not necesarily limited to "human traits," but apply to some other animals, as well. by practicing teaching/learning techniques with chimps, we may receive some insight into better ways to reach people.

Hmmm.... tough problems 'best left to the unconcious mind'?
Sometimes i come up with the best solution or answer to a problem (be it emotional or mathematical) if i work with the fist thing that popped into my head. i think that there is a synthesis that is done in my brain when i first hear of a challenge or question, before i've conciously thought about it. often we might recognize this for a split second and then instantly start filling our minds with this and that possibility until it's too hard to even tell what our 'intuition' might be telling us. This is not to say that it is not a good idea to really sit with some problems... often answers come with time, no? but, i don't think that we should rule out that calm voice that knows the answer before we complicate things. Certainly, our brains hold all of the information that we've ever learned, and although much of it often feels non-accessible, we should trust our instincts that perhaps we know what we're talking about more often than we think.