Question to all Murcers - What is the (scientific) definition of life ?

[Dogbert]

Computer programmers are usually underpaid and overworked so they rightfully claim to have no life - hence they aren't considered a life form anymore

[mdhome]

Originally posted by Dogbert
mdhome, you make me think about lousy construction workers.
You give them tools yet they refuse to work while filling your head with nonsense about other tools and machines and miractles and rubbish.

The question is definition of life. The tool is science. I know thousands of excuses for why it can't be done. I don't care the least about those.
Either participate in the project with the given tools or stay out of it.

I DO NOT CARE FOR RELIGION IN THIS SUBJECT, ALL I CARE ABOUT IS S-C-I-E-N-C-E ! ! !

Whoa, hold your horses there, who's talking about religion? I'm an atheist. Science doesnt know how to define life. If it did then better brains than yours would have solved it by now. You think that you can come up with the definition of life using If else statements then carry on.


Regards Michael

[Dogbert]

mdhome,

You're complicating a rather simple questions. Don't explain how life works. Just define what life is, like in a dictionary.
I'm looking for the shortest yet most accurate definition of life.
If your child comes to you and asks you what being alive means what would you tell him ? What is the thing that puts you and him in the same group as plant and viruses and not with fire, cystals and other inanimated matter and energy ?

[Dogbert]

To help, I'll give you an example:

NASA is looking for life forms on Mars.
What do they define as a life form: Any organic matter / Sugar / Protein ?

[thop]

hey dogbert you can hire me. i will be your professional life detector. just name sth. or show me sth. and i will tell if it's alive or not without any formula or algorithm

i charge 10000$ per day.

[mutz]

Dearest Dogbert,

Some time ago a number of us here at MURC embarked upon a very ambitious project, which is nearing completion of the first phase.

Phase one of the project is to develop a computer interface far superior to anything anybody has ever imagined, even in Crystal Ball. After having prepared all the infrastructure, logistics and support systems, we spent quite some time under stringent criterion to select the ideal candidate with which to carry out this project. After every imaginable consideration, and rejecting even voluntary candidates, such as Greebe and Dr. Mordrid, there was only one name left on the list, and that was you.

So now I think we are all ageed to let you in on our little secret. You may have wondered some time ago why you were being exhausted and driven out of your gourd by some of our members. Well that all had a definite purpose.

Please don't get disturbed or excited because we can assure you all is well.

One night as you slept so totally zonked out, one of our teams crept into your bedroom and gave you a total anaesthesia. You were then removed to our secret laboratory where Doc removed your brain, carefully labeling all the wiring, and put it into soothing solutions of nutrients in a glass jar. He then very meticulously and gently hooked you up to the computer interface that we had prepared.

We have now completed the development and debugging phase of our interface and software, and of course as our primary objective, have some very handsome bids for our work. Billy has bid $15,456,986,253.47 for the software, which is the highest and the one we are most likely to accept. Intel has made a very substantial offer for the interface chipset, however we are pondering whether it might be better to sell to SIS or VIA to balance up the marketplace. Unfortunately we received no bids for the CPU.

You will be pleased to know, after the winning bids have been awarded, that we have agreed that your share will be in the realm of $7,000,000,000 for all. If you have some comment about this, please post us through PM.

Please forgive us for your discomfort and stress in the last couple of days. A few of our less serious members were getting bored and were dropping paperclips and other objects in your jar to see what came out in Soap Box. Sorry about that. We'll see that it doesn't happen again.

You may be wondering about phase two of our project. Well it has actually begun. After making so much money, we felt it would only be just to do something for mankind. Phase two is for the Interdenominational Counsel for Religion and Life Research.

The first part of this project is determine how the human brain in absolute isolation defines life. You have received some subliminal suggestions in this regard. This part will not last very long, however part two will go on relatively long.

Part two will require your brain being reinstalled in your body, Doc assures us he about has this worked out in theory, after which you will be required to delve into deeper questions of life and spirituality. We hope you will be cooperative.

Your recompensation for phase two will be $4.56, all you can eat and a library of religious works from Adam to Zarathustra, including many pamphlets from Jehovas Witnesses and The Church of the Later Day Saints, to be followed by free visits to your home after completion of the project.

So, as you can see you a very important and revered person, also destined to be extremely wealthy.

We give you our very best wishes and thank you for your particiaption.

Sincerely,

MURC Out of Gourd Associates (MOOGA)

[Dogbert]

All is cool, but I still haven't seen a cent !

SHOW ME THE MONEY !!!

[mutz]

PS. We apologize for Tony's behavior. We find taunting you in your condition with that Avatar to be in very poor taste. - MOOGA

[mutz]

Sorry, we can't do that right now. All in due course. - MOOGA

[mdhome]

Originally posted by Dogbert
mdhome,

You're complicating a rather simple questions. Don't explain how life works. Just define what life is, like in a dictionary.
I'm looking for the shortest yet most accurate definition of life.
If your child comes to you and asks you what being alive means what would you tell him ? What is the thing that puts you and him in the same group as plant and viruses and not with fire, cystals and other inanimated matter and energy ?

Oh thats simple
You are born, you live and then you die

[mutz]

...(applause)...

[Admiral]

I'll give it a shot:

"something" that does "something" by its own (free) will.

Now, the first something may be mater, antimater, energy... what the life form is made of.
The second something is what it does. Feeding, reproducing...=> interacting with its environment
The (free) will implyes some sort of inteligence or conscience that makes the something do the other something.
And it is this "will" that we really should debate and this will has nothing to do with numbers. Throw in philosofy or psychoanalysis but not algorithms.

Our problem here is that we don't yet know everything there is to know in our Universe, from a scientific perspective, to be able to draw a final conclusion like the definition you're looking for.
Every definition we can give is relative and it will be absolete the second we encounter a new different life form that contradicts it.

hence what mdhome said:

As you can gather, I am not sure that we can define what we dont really understand

So my relative scientific definition of life is:

Mater, antimater, energy, a combination of them or of all, that interacts with its environment, by its own free will.

[ZokesPro]

I got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's when you get your first paycheck and you going whining to your parents that the government took too much off.

That's when you parents say: "That's life!"

And that is the definition of life!

[Dogbert]

So, according to ZokesPo:

If it has to pay to or has been taken money from => It's alive.

Interesting...

[SpiralDragon]

life is a b**** and i want my money back