WHY ENVIRONMENT MATTERS?
What is the difference between something that is alive vs something that is inert? You might answer: "Well one is alive and the other isn't!" But what does being alive really entail?
Being alive means that some biological function is taking place. (Note the use of the word function...again!) Something that is inert lacks the presence of biological functions. Examples of biological functions are :
The metabolism which is the function converting nutrients into energy
Growth which is the function of increase size or complexity over time.
Reproduction which is the function of creating new individuals.
Responding to stimuli which is a function of changes in the environment.
Evolution which is a function of adapting to an environment over the corse of generations.
All these require a structure which can take in an input from the environment, process it and generate an output. This is the same concept as a mathematical function.
Being alive therefore requires the processing of our environment. Over time, evolution has generated increasingly complex ways in which living things process their environment.