The Fallacy of Composition: Why Atoms Alone Can't Make a Living Being

When we look at the world, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that the sum of the parts equals the whole. This is especially true when it comes to understanding the complexity of living beings. If every thing on earth is made from atoms, then how can we, as living beings, exist when no single atom can carry hundreds of pounds? To unravel this mystery, we need to explore the fascinating concept known as the fallacy of composition.

Decomposing Everyday Objects

Imagine a car that can carry hundreds of pounds. The car itself is made up entirely of atoms, yet not a single atom within it has the capacity to carry that weight individually. This phenomenon is a prime example of the fallacy of composition. While the components (atoms) do not possess certain qualities when found in isolation, their collective properties can differ significantly.

From Ingredients to Delicious Dishes

Consider the transformation of humble ingredients into a more complex final product. An apple pie, pizza, or candy, for instance, is made from individual ingredients that we can easily identify. However, these ingredients do not carry the intrinsic qualities (apple-pie-ness, pizza-ness, or candy-ness) that define the final product. They only become what they are when combined in a specific manner.

Life and Its Mysterious Nature

Life also follows a similar pattern. Just as atoms can form a car that can carry weight, they can also combine to create complex living organisms. Is your “life” just an illusion? Is your “reality” merely a collection of atoms? While atoms are fundamental, the emergent properties of life are far more intricate. Life is not a static substance but a dynamic process.

The Role of Arrangement

A single molecule of water is not a wave, yet an entire ocean full of water molecules certainly can exhibit wave-like behavior. Sound propagates through the air, but you cannot hear individual air molecules; instead, you perceive the large-scale coordinated motion of many air molecules. Similarly, a mixture of hydrogen gas in a torch does not undergo nuclear fusion like stars do; the properties of living organisms arise from the intricate arrangement of non-living atoms.

The Chemical Basis of Life

It used to be, and still is widely assumed, that there is a "life force" animating living things. However, there is no evidence to support this concept. Life appears to be a complex chemical process with the ability to replicate, evolve, and adapt. A living dandelion, cat, or human is not "alive" in the sense that a single atom is not "wet," just as a car cannot burn gasoline or a clock cannot tell time with its individual components. Complex systems can possess properties that are not found in their individual parts.

Complexity and Emergent Properties

Water is not "wet" on a molecular level, but a large body of water does exhibit wetness. Similarly, a clock’s hands do not tell time, yet the device as a whole can. You claim that we’re not too small to be seen with the naked eye, despite the fact that all the atoms that make up our bodies are too small to be seen. This is a perfect example of the fallacy of composition. Just because the parts do not possess a particular quality does not mean that the whole cannot.

The key takeaway is that the collective properties of a system can differ significantly from its individual components. This concept is crucial for understanding the nature of life and the emergence of complex systems from simple building blocks.