Life Length

What is life or death?

What outlines the length of a life?

The definition of life is difficult even for biologists to outline down to all the details. When it comes to life and death relative to our perceived significance, perhaps it is even more difficult to pin down. 

In a recent post; Momento of Memorability, I considered that from a common perspective, orderly memory access seems to be one of the most significant aspects of human life and existence. In a post from last year; <I>, it seemed to resolve that the mind is likely the most relevant element to what defines a person as an individual. Does this mean that the fundamental requirements for life for a person could be outlined as; their mind accessing memories (which are relative to 1 another or circumstances)? 

If this is considered the fundamental requirements, there could be additional components to life as well, such as perception, emotion, and action, but the minimum component would be conscious memory access. Death would then mean the permanent discontinuation of relevant memory access. The specific degrees of the parameters which constitute this definition of death, would be very difficult to distinguish. What type of memory access is relevant, could be an important distinguishment. For it to be considered life rather than death, how similar does the relevant memory access have to be, which is being continued?

If the concept and idea is accepted, that an individual is defined by their mind’s memory access, then the perspective could be taken that death would include the discontinuation of a mind being used in a generally similar way. As I mentioned in the post; <I>, an individual could be defined by their mind use over various amounts of time. If someone is only considered to be themselves based on a short time period of tendencies for their mind use, then alterations in that type of mind use could be considered death. By this interpretation, an individual would die from any semi-drastic changing of how they think. A significant change in their mind would indeed be permanent discontinuation of memory access in the way that defines that individual. By these perspectives, then, new life would emerge as the new individual, being the new mind and memory access tendencies. 

The question of detail of degree of similarity for continued mind use, may very well be a significant one. If someone has a body and mind with the capability to continue using their mind in similar ways, by accessing memories in similar methods, but perhaps they reduce or alter their mind usage for a time period (for eg. drugs, depression, or even changing their environment and living situation), then has that which makes life of that individual died? 

Or if you take the perspective that a life is a physical body with any type of use of their mind, then is the only significance or relevance, the physical object? When every particle in someone’s body is replaced naturally over a 7 yr span, have they gradually died? Could a mind within a body be completely changed (psychologically or technologically) and it would still be the same life? 

When it comes down to it, as many might be, perhaps these perspectives of concepts, definitions, and parameter details vary, and are relevant based on context. Questioning these idea’s and analyzing potential relevant concepts which could apply to life, might be in itself a significant aspect of life.