If something or someone doesn't kill a particular amoeba first, then it will surely not survive the "death" of this planet or solar system or galaxy or universe.
The only remarkable thing is that the amoeba is a living organism not programmed to die (age "naturally" - e.g. apoptosis.)
And, in my view, the more interesting question is how and/or why the higher organisms are programmed to die. In evolution theory, how would "nature" select in favor of death by trial and error? What is the survival advantage of death?
To the Christian who "does" or at least follows science, the observation might underscore a spiritual understanding, i.e. that death was added after the fact of life, whether biological or spiritual.
Of course if and how a Christian would see this would depend on whether he understands the following passage to speak of physical death or spiritual death - or both - and whether he views the first four chapters of Scripture as written from the Creator's perspective or the creature's perspective, e.g. whether Eden was spiritual, physical or both - whether Adam was made in the spiritual realm or the physical realm or both.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. - Revelation 2:7
For me, the observation points to the harmony between God's revelation in Scripture and in Creation (spiritual and physical:)
[[And, in my view, the more interesting question is how and/or why the higher organisms are programmed to die. In evolution theory, how would “nature” select in favor of death by trial and error? What is the survival advantage of death?]]
Precisely- very good point- however, I think the coutnerargument will be that there had to be a ‘tradeoff’ between long life and reproduction- however, if hte amoeba were perfectly fine livng htier life merrily, and livign for very long times, it woudl seem that there woudl be nothign that would ‘push htem’ toward the ‘need to evovle’
But the coutnerargument will be that certain colonies of amoeba were pressured to ‘adapt or die’ and even htough other colonies in other parts of hte world were htriving, these particular amoeba had to adapt- and so on and so forth for billions of years until we got billions of species that all apparently evovled from lower species that simply couldn’t make a go of it in their particular environments and ‘needed to evolve’ to a higher species and compelxity.
[[To the Christian who “does” or at least follows science, the observation might underscore a spiritual understanding, i.e. that death was added after the fact of life, whether biological or spiritual. ]]
I was goign to mention this earlier- that it could be argued that the amoeba that live very long were carry-overs from the original creation where life was supposed to live eternal- all species.
...the more interesting question is how and/or why the higher organisms are programmed to die. In evolution theory, how would "nature" select in favor of death by trial and error? What is the survival advantage of death?
Marvelous insights, dearest sister in Christ! As for this interesting question, it certainly creates an interesting paradox for orthodox ToE.
Thank you ever so much for this superb essay/post!