Science Forums 2

[Freethinker]

And even the "organic" vs "inorganic" thing. Organic merely means it is carbon based. Thus if the nano-device was carbon based construction it WOULD be organic. Confusing things even more.

Maybe "life" is determined by whether there is some not for profit org started to defend it's continued existence? :-)

One of the great things about being involved in this site is what you learn when chasing down answers for here. Almost unsuprisingly, there is actually a web site CALLED

What is Life?

"Intended for the Advancement of Public Understanding of the Biological Sciences

What is Life presents conceptual thinking in biology. While many current issues in biology are based on simple ideas, the elucidation of biological mechanisms that explain diverse aspects of life is challenging because cells and organisms are complex systems. To understand how biologists study the structure and function of living organisms one has to understand the relationship between experiment and theory. Such an understanding amounts to scientific literacy. "

http://www.whatislife.com/index.html


The home page is a portal to many great aricles and resources on the topic.

One I enjoyed browsing was:

"Man and Machine

Man and machine has fascinated mankind for a long time. Making man more like a machine and a machine like man are irresistible goals for many people. 20th Century technology, computers, and genetics have brought us closer to this goal. Computer simulations of life forms, artificial intelligence, robotics are all testimony to these efforts."

http://www.whatislife.com/news/news_artificiallife.html


This site might not provide a hard line defintion, but it sure helps expand the dialog!