mainly...

a thing that can nourish itself and decay? - Aristotle

self reproduction as a quality?

well...try not to make them (your definitions) overly discriminating or excessevely lenient, hmm, hold...is it possible?

Life is something which is aware of it's existence, i.e. anything that is aware of the environment around, and therefore has a choice of how to act and interact with(in) the environment.

In my opinion.

Life, just like Aides, is a disease that is passed by sex and always ends in death :D

Now to be serious. In my opinion, life is something that preserves itself by reproduction, and is changed to fit it's enviroment (evolution).

Originally posted by Hemlock
Life is something which is aware of it's existence, i.e. anything that is aware of the environment around, and therefore has a choice of how to act and interact with(in) the environment.

In my opinion.

Then, by your definition, is a tree alive?

life is something we cant create for ourselves. we were born without our permission, therefore *living* is supposed to be possessed

Then, by your definition, is a tree alive?

No!

This creates a problem I know, because trees have a body (existence), but they have no mind and (possibly) no soul, yet they differ from rocks (minerals etc). I think something may have been missed, i.e. there may be four things not three, but I don't know what it is. :)

Life is...about collecting
-Zion


bye!

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/complexity/life.html


http://www.bitstorm.org/gameoflife/

life: a constant struggle of trying to stay afloat in a swirling vatt of shit, occasionally enhanced by sex with a strange person

Life...


Life is irrelevant. I think any definition we can come up with to define what we perceive as "alive" or "living" makes no matter to the "big picture." Life is not precious.


I suggest going to google.com and searching for Exit Mundi. That site has a collection of end-world scenarios which are entirely possible and many of which could occur immenantly(sp?).

We matter not. Trust me.

Life is like a body. You have the head, the arms, the legs, the heart, the feet, hands, ect.. The blood represents everything in your life that keeps it alive and flowing. If you think about what each of the body parts does, then you could probably think of something or someone in your life that it could relate to.

When the bullet holes let the blood out of your body, you die to life. Your mind shuts down, your heart stops beating the precious emotion and experience of life. So one could argue that you can die many times in your life. Life is a series of battlewounds with the chance that a doctor may not always be there.

wow... you have to appreciate the shit being flung around this thread... it is not so much impressive as it is depressive... but hey, live and let not live IS my motto... should you choose to do so, as long as you don't hurt anyone other than yourself... which if you think about it is impossible, since we are ALL connected on some level... chain reaction i believe it is called...

it's your choice to be here or not after your conception and your every action after that has a reaction... more like consequence, whether you accept that or not IS your choice... believe me or not.. i'm in a sarcastic mood, so here goes everything...

plasticwingsmelting: you keep thinking that... keeeeeep doing what you're doing... you're onto something... nothing... you're belief system is a confirmation... of nothingness... you must be proud...

bigjnorman: hilarious... absolutely dismal, but funny...

zion: you are so not from this planet are you? collecting what? human tissue samples?

Mucker: you really need to take some biology courses... how can you possibly insinuate (assuming you are possibly educated of course) that a tree is not alive? it's called photosomethingorother (sarcasm detected) and guess what, without it, there would be absolutely no human or (insert life form here) LIFE here whatsoever on this blue ball (since apparently human life is the only one that counts) .. it's called food.. don't know if you have heard of it.. but it sustains every living thing... oh right, living things must have a soul, so forget all them damn caterpillars... i suppose you believe bees are irrelevant to human life also? damn...

Martian: you might be onto something, but it sounds to George Orwell for my liking... simplicity is not ignorance... remember that...

Hemlock: good opinion, but i can not agree, a friend of mine was badly injured in a freak accident, she left half her brain on the sidewalk and the other half is useless now, she wears a diaper, drools and does not recognize her own children, she IS however alive, but unaware of that fact... is she still ALIVE in your opinion? life is more than awareness, it is existence... however, for all intents and purposes of this post, having both is optimum...

Quigly: humans are the perfect rendition of life, in human terms, however, the moon, stars, lava, spermatazoa, and yes, even cheese are considered alive... in their own context of course... not having a soul does not equate to not being alive, perhaps in human terms, but to the universe... it IS most definitely alive, simply misunderstood... even if it appears insignificant to you or i, it has been accounted for... and has been deemed alive in some form... even if it is one we do not readily recognize...

i have heard that death (human death) does not actually mean gone in the sense we see it (from the living perspective) it means final or total transformation of the form... from non-functional in this existence to functional in another... whether it's maggot food or fertilizer... it is still life... just transformed...
in my opinion... of course...

peace :m:

D

plasticwingsmelting: you keep thinking that... keeeeeep doing what you're doing... you're onto something... nothing... you're belief system is a confirmation... of nothingness... you must be proud...



I can't help it if I've never believed in anything. At one point, when I was forced to go into catholic church in kindergarten because I lived in the city(it was the only school my mother would have me attend), I only believed what they told me out of fear of punishment for thinking otherwise. Even then I was skeptical about it all. It all seemed like jibberish and nonsense. As it does today. Screw it all. The priests don't have a problem screwing little boys...

Proud? Pride is a waste. Much like everything else. It's not my fault you fail to see things for the way they are.

Quigly: humans are the perfect rendition of life, in human terms, however, the moon, stars, lava, spermatazoa, and yes, even cheese are considered alive... in their own context of course... not having a soul does not equate to not being alive, perhaps in human terms, but to the universe... it IS most definitely alive, simply misunderstood... even if it appears insignificant to you or i, it has been accounted for... and has been deemed alive in some form... even if it is one we do not readily recognize...

I think I understand what you mean. Life could probably be categorized into two things though
Life: The things that apply to one persons egocentric universe. and
Life: The entire existance of nature and the universe.

The first definition is the one I was defining in my first post. I think in my egocentric world, The universe that is so large and unknown is like my hair. It is dead, yet it is very much a part of me. Such is the universe. I do not understand the complexity and the vastness of the universe, thus it is dead to me, but it is still there.

In Life definition 2, then yes, Life is the completeness of an ever advancing and expanding universe.

The universe OWNS YOU!!

The universe OWNS YOU!!

The universe governs me, but does it really own me?

Questionable. If there is another dimension outside of the universe or if God exists(as i do believe), then I am governed by the universe, but I am not owned by it. Well, then again, I guess you could say that physical death is your price of freedom from the universe in that case as well.

A thread pertinent to the query of the original post. (http://sciforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27052)

Life is what you make it.

Questionable. If there is another dimension outside of the universe or if God exists(as i do believe), then I am governed by the universe, but I am not owned by it. Well, then again, I guess you could say that physical death is your price of freedom from the universe in that case as well.

Physical death does not set you free from the universe. Your material is re-integrated back into the soil and into the mouths of insects. You can't escape, you can never escape. It won't matter what you think though, because you'll be dead.

amazing feedback, well done everyone...;)

well I was just reading some book called "Artificial life" by Levy and it just seemed amazing how they could possible create life on the basis of simple programs, a-life :cool:

What seemed odd however was the "reasonable" definition of life they attempted to use...life based in logics and purely information.

but then... dont you feel LIFE is perhaps more than that? something more than simple biological functions?

...yet the soul (this notion, I know, beyond science) belongs to mystics to a certain extent...and a bacteria, considered alive wouldnt have a soul, would it?

I would then agree with life as being a continuum rank in which the measure is the degree of aliveness....a tree being more alive than a rock and a human being more alive than a unicellular bacteria.

To what extent a machine or automaton able to emulate "life" qualities would be considered alive? e.g. an android...


so...what do you think? :bugeye:

thanks

Originally posted by Exotic_D
i have heard that death (human death) does not actually mean gone in the sense we see it (from the living perspective) it means final or total transformation of the form... from non-functional in this existence to functional in another... whether it's maggot food or fertilizer... it is still life... just transformed...
in my opinion... of course...
Is that the kind of thing you need to "hear"?
But yeah I agree.
It seems obvious.
Of course its still life, you can't escape life even at death. Well maybe that russian dude in the sealed case is avoiding it for a while.
You get eaten, some of you becomes that which ate you and the rest gets crapped out, that crap feeds grass that you then are, that gets eaten etc.
I learned this from the lion king.
No actually its just from noticing the world.
You know that thing that made us owns us allows us to exist etc?
Yeah I'm really strange, I actually pay attention to it.
The fact the concept of an afterlife was invented is so telling of how patheticly ignorant humans are. There is no mystery as to what happens when you die.
How more straight forward can it get.

Physical death does not set you free from the universe. Your material is re-integrated back into the soil and into the mouths of insects. You can't escape, you can never escape. It won't matter what you think though, because you'll be dead.


Believing in anything different is completely otiose. And I don't mean to ponder different ideas, but to commit to anything else than the absolute truth.

Ever read the middle of the word believe? it smells out LIE

Life is just life :P

Life is the moment between birth and death, the moment/timespace at which the universe experiences eternity.

We are the eyes of the universe and experience eternity, if aren't blidned with trivial, self created burdens.

A body of something that can have movement not prompted by anything else but itself eg. growth, , that when dead, is symbolised by a lack of movement.

mainly...

a thing that can nourish itself and decay? - Aristotle

self reproduction as a quality?

well...try not to make them (your definitions) overly discriminating or excessevely lenient, hmm, hold...is it possible?


Main Entry: 1life
Pronunciation: 'lIf
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural lives /'lIvz/
Etymology: Middle English lif, from Old English lIf; akin to Old English libban to live -- more at LIVE
1 a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body b : a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings -- compare VITALISM 1 c : an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
2 a : the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual b : one or more aspects of the process of living <sex life of the frog>
3 : BIOGRAPHY 1
4 : spiritual existence transcending physical death
5 a : the period from birth to death b : a specific phase of earthly existence <adult life> c : the period from an event until death <a judge appointed for life> d : a sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a convict's life
6 : a way or manner of living
7 : LIVELIHOOD
8 : a vital or living being; specifically : PERSON <many lives were lost in the disaster>
9 : an animating and shaping force or principle
10 : SPIRIT, ANIMATION <there was no life in her dancing>
11 : the form or pattern of something existing in reality <painted from life>
12 : the period of duration, usefulness, or popularity of something <the expected life of flashlight batteries>
13 : the period of existence (as of a subatomic particle) -- compare HALF-LIFE
14 : a property (as resilience or elasticity) of an inanimate substance or object resembling the animate quality of a living being
15 : living beings (as of a particular kind or environment) <forest life>
16 a : human activities b : animate activity and movement <stirrings of life> c : the activities of a given sphere, area, or time <the political life of the country>
17 : one providing interest and vigor <life of the party>
18 : an opportunity for continued viability <gave the patient a new life>
19 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD 1b
20 : something resembling animate life <a grant saved the project's life>

Knowing That we can make it better and being able to make it better.

Life is made up of tubes that put other tubes in at one end and craps them out the other. Well, thats one of the most basic games life plays anyway, and a delicious one at that! Maybe life is the transfer of energy. When I think about what is alive and whats not I usually start thinking about carrots. I believe a carrot is alive. But when I pick it from the ground does it die? I don't think so, not yet anyway. If I put it in my refrigerator for two days, is it dead then? I really don't think it is. If I eat it, does it die then? No, it becomes the tube that is me. Then a bear or a dragon will eat me, and so on. If I let the carrot rot little tiny tubes are just going to eat it. Life is still playing its games. So, if life is the transfer of energy is a rock tumbling down a mountain life? Why not? Some people might say that the carrot is alive because it grows, it takes in energy and nutrients, mixes things up and becomes orange and green and tasty. Mountains grow too. Only in a slightly different manner. Some parts are even orange and green and tasty. A rock tumbling down a mountain is a part of the process. So, yeah, rocks and mountains are alive.

anyway... interesting thread you brought back avatar :)

"To what extent a machine or automaton able to emulate "life" qualities would be considered alive? e.g. an android...so...what do you think?"

NEVER.

life.. phenomena, or a collection of it.

Then, by your definition, is a tree alive?

A tree which is 'alive' is an anthropomorphism.

A tree which is 'alive' is an anthropomorphism.

And? Go the full course! What does it mean if we say something is an anthropomorphism?

To visualise or describe something in human terms, but getting back to life, well, anything that isn't Dead is Alive. Any other description of Life is purely subjective.

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*Common genetic blueprint (DNA)
*Same fundamental unit of life (cell)
*Common evolutionary origin and shared evolutionary forces
*Same pool of resources (Earth’s)