What is Life?

[zyncod]

Or the fact that "replication" and "evolution" of organic crystals would be included in this definition. Graham Cairns-Smith brought up this theory in the 60s using silicate crystals on clay substrates but there's no reason to think that organic crystals wouldn't behave in the same fashion. And clearly crystals are not "alive."

 

There is no good definition of life, and at the risk of sounding like an ass, there's no good reason to define life. It's one of those things that are intrinsically understood but impossible to put into words. Like emotions.

[SkepticLance]

Ashennel.

Fire has the ability to reproduce, but not to evolve.

[ashennell]

Ashennel.

Fire has the ability to reproduce' date=' but not to evolve.[/quote']

 

So I hear, but my point was that evolution requires replication. You would need an example of something that evolved but that didn't reproduce/replicate in some fashion.

[Prime-Evil]

Evolution is subjective.

You could argue that evolution is just imperfect replication.

 

You have no choice but to arbitrarily discriminate between biological life, and life in general. So your real question, perhaps, is what is biology? Does it extend to life other than hydrocarbon based life forms. Can it include silicon based life forms. What about information based life forms. How is life confined to a comuter network different than life confined to a petre dish?

 

Unless you include all of creation in your definition of life, you are being arbitrary, not that there is anything wrong with that as long as nobody get's hurt. But you are, after all, not just a monkey's uncle. You are also a rock's uncle.

[ashennell]

Evolution is subjective.

You could argue that evolution is just imperfect replication.

 

You have no choice but to arbitrarily discriminate between biological life' date=' and life in general. So your real question, perhaps, is what is biology? Does it extend to life other than hydrocarbon based life forms. Can it include silicon based life forms. What about information based life forms. How is life confined to a comuter network different than life confined to a petre dish?

 

Unless you include all of creation in your definition of life, you are being arbitrary, not that there is anything wrong with that as long as nobody get's hurt. But you are, after all, not just a monkey's uncle. You are also a rock's uncle.[/quote']

 

Evolution is not just imperfect replication. It requires some form of selective pressure on the population of replicators.

 

I agree that restricting the definition of life to only include hydrocarbon based lifeforms is arbitrary. However, there is no reason to therefore jump to the conclusion that everything is living.

 

I seems like the definition of life will end up being equivalent to 'an example of evolution in practise.'