This project comes from reading a book full of scientific anomalies, 13 Things that don't make sense-The Most Intriguing Scientific Mysteries of Our Times by Michael Brooks. One of the scientific anomalies was, of course, 'What is Life-are you more than just a bag of chemicals?'.
Here's a quote from it: 'Plenty of stuff has the quality we call alive. We also see plenty of stuff around us that no one would call life. But no scientist can tell you the where the fundamental difference between these two states lies. [...] As Erwin Schrodinger, the father of quantum theory, asked in 1944, "What is life?"
The book goes on to say that most scientists believe that life is "nothing special," that there is no reason to believe something etheral or spiritual, some "vital spark" switches on life in an assembly of molecules. There's an answer; we just don't know what it is and we're not even sure how and where to look for the answer.
How would one define life? I could say that it is a system that can reproduce without the need for other different systems, which would rule out cars, that need us to make them, and viruses, that need a host cell. Yet then, there could be exeptions to that rule because don't seem like a non-living organim-the mimivirus is a good example of this.
So this project isn't going to be to find what life is; it's going to be compiling a list of other definitions of 'Life' and if I feel particularly philosphical in the future and find someone else, a debate of life.
I would be much appreciate if you would post comments about YOUR definition on life, and I'll publish them into a post, even if it's completely absurd.
Note: Don't expect anything to be up here within the next six weeks-I am going to be extremely busy with something or the other to conduct surveys and pester people.
