And what is your argument or agreement with Shapiro and Schwartz? I am unclear as to the point you were attempting to make by bringing in Shapiro's work.
If you couldn't tell, I agree with Shapiro and, by the argument, with Schwartz. I brought up Shapiro as an "I told you so". Although Schwartz characterizes the external agent, it is the cell that responds to the external stimuli. We know the cell is alive. Is the external stimulus alive?