Tagless writes:
[...] snowflakes, wrt to NATURE, function as a form of precipitation, and the purpose of precipitation is to provide moisture to plants, animals, etc.
I think it is highly contentious to say that the function of precipitation is to provide moisture to life. What about precipitation on a barren planet? What's the function of that?
I think precipitation is just a physcical process that, on this planet, involves water. And water just happens to be of crucial importance to life as we know it. If there is precipitation, then life can thrive. But the precipitation is there anyway, regardless of the presence of life. If it could care, it couldn't care less, so to speak.
Tagless writes:
Maybe you meant to ask me for some other function and purpose?? Or a different definition?
If I am "wrong" and you are "...assuming nothing of the kind." then why did you specifically ask me "what function and purpose does a snowflake have?"?
We were talking about the patterns of snowflakes. I thought that you meant that the
cristalline form of a snowflake has a function or a purpose. I could not imagine how that could be the case, hence my question.
Tagless writes:
I thought you were biased because even though it might not be the function and purpose you have in mind that doesn't mean that function and purpose is non-existent.....does that make sense?
My stance with regard to function and purpose can be summarized as follows: There is function and purpose in living nature, but not anywhere else. Function and purpose in living nature is local only, meaning that above a certain level of abstraction, no function and purpose can be attributed to an entity.
It is a matter of discussion what exact level of abstraction we are talking about here. For example, you could say that the lens of an eye has the function of focusing light on the retina, the eye itself has the function of enabling the organism to see, but the organism as whole has no purpose or function. On the other hand, if the organism is an ant for example, you might also say that it has a function in the colony. But then, what purpose can be attributed to the colony?
We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further. - Richard Dawkins