Yes, we agree that living processes are special, but part of what makes them so special is because we believe them to be unique and rare. My whole point was, wh

Yes, we agree that living processes are special, but part of what makes them so special is because we believe them to be unique and rare. My whole point was, what if we discover, at some point in the future, that life in the universe is not rare, but rather an inevitable process of geology, like the stalactite you're describing? (that was a great analogy, btw.) We will still think of species' as unique (identical biochemistry is exceedingly unlikely), yet life will become somewhat "commodified" in a sense, if you understand that comparison. Obviously, I took some liberty in describing a nightmarish "moral crisis" scenario; I am just surprised that my comment garnered so many responses, all of them misunderstanding my main argument in one way or another.