Life ≠ Alive
aeon.co
Life ≠ Alive
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Re: Life ≠ Alive
#2[deleted]
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#3An incredible piece of work, thank you Santa Fe Institute!
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#4I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic.
I think we can distinguish between:
* A living cat
* A dead cat
* A cat's living or dead skin cell
* A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice
I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life."
I would rather say "living organism" and "dead organism," the latter of which implies that at once point it was a living organism.
And the cat's skin cell is not an organism at all; it is a living (or dead) _part_ of an organism.
Alice, on the other hand, is not an organism or a part of an organism. I would not use the same term for Alice as I would for biological life. Philosophically, does Alice constitute artificial life? Maybe. But calling Alice "living" with no qualifiers seems off.
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#5I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic. I think we can distinguish between: * A living cat * A dead cat * A cat's living or dead skin cell * A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." I would rather s…
Why is the skin cell not an organism though? The definitions for 'organism' vary, but a common theme seems to be an interdependant system comprised of 'organs' with different specific functions that together form a greater whole. But is a cell not comprised of organelles? Mitochondia have their own dna and it is theorized that they were originally a seperate lifeform in a symbiotic relationship. The same goes for other specialized structures like chloroplasts in plants. On the other end of the spectrum, would we classify groups or societies as organisms, with individuals carrying out specialized purposes? Is a society, nation or company alive? Perhaps not in the biological sense we commonly use the words, just like Alice. But that might just be our own carbon-based bias ;)
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#6I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic. I think we can distinguish between: * A living cat * A dead cat * A cat's living or dead skin cell * A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." I would rather s…
Why is the skin cell not an organism though? The definitions for 'organism' vary, but a common theme seems to be an interdependant system comprised of 'organs' with different specific functions that together form a greater whole. But is a cell not comprised of organelles? Mitochondia have their own dna and it is theorized that they were originally a seperate lifeform in a symbiotic relationship. The same goes for oth…
Skin cells die rather quickly without their support networks.
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#7I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic. I think we can distinguish between: * A living cat * A dead cat * A cat's living or dead skin cell * A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." I would rather s…
> It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life."
So all the dinosaurs found on earth are not "life" according to your definition?
If we found a bone on Mars, wouldn't all the press say "life found on Mars?"
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#8[deleted]
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#9I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic. I think we can distinguish between: * A living cat * A dead cat * A cat's living or dead skin cell * A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." I would rather s…
Why is the skin cell not an organism though? The definitions for 'organism' vary, but a common theme seems to be an interdependant system comprised of 'organs' with different specific functions that together form a greater whole. But is a cell not comprised of organelles? Mitochondia have their own dna and it is theorized that they were originally a seperate lifeform in a symbiotic relationship. The same goes for oth…
A gear, by itself, is not a machine.
A skin cell, by itself, cannot function or survive as a living organism.
Re: Life ≠ Alive
#10I don't think the terms and definitions (life vs. alive) are the best possible for making sense of this topic. I think we can distinguish between: * A living cat * A dead cat * A cat's living or dead skin cell * A self-replicating 3D printer called Alice I don't like the term "life" to refer to both the living and the dead cat. It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." I would rather s…
> It seems bizarre to have concepts of "living life" and "non-living life." So all the dinosaurs found on earth are not "life" according to your definition? If we found a bone on Mars, wouldn't all the press say "life found on Mars?"
They are not life anymore.
They WERE life.
The English language has mechanisms to differentiate past and present. Ignoring those mechanisms do not prove points.