How Do You Define Life?
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A few days ago, I was trying to compile a mental list of some controversial topics I could write about. For some reason, I ended up dwelling on abortion and the search for extraterrestrials. Only then did I realize a striking similarity between the two – both involve the seemingly impossible task of devising a list of parameters which concretely outline “life.” If you think about it, we as intelligent human beings have an inherent idea of what constitutes “life”, but how exactly do we go about defining it in a manner which is both broad yet without exception? In the case of abortion, is life present the instant in which fertilization occurs? How about E.T. and his friends… do they have to be carbon-based, cellular organisms to be considered life forms?
In his infinite wisdom, Socrates once said “all I know is that I know nothing.” This premise applies perfectly to the question at hand. If we attempt to define “life” by the observations we have made in our own lives, the definition would be biased and ultimately incorrect. Therefore, we must accept the fact that we indeed “know nothing” to provide an objective opinion.
Enough philosophy. Since I fall under the subset of all humans, my definition is going to be biased and incorrect anyways, but this is what I came up with.
“Life refers to any entity which utilizes an energy source to fuel the relevant biochemical processes needed to sustain the entity till it successfully produces fertile offspring.”
Under this definition, yes, I consider an egg which has been recently fertilized to be a form of “life.” It meets all the aforementioned requirements.
- The embryo obtains “energy” in the form of nutrients from the biological mother.
- The embryo undergoes the “biochemical processes” of growth and adaptation as it progresses from newborn to adult.
- The adult “produces fertile offspring” (in this case, through sexual reproduction) and ensures the survival of its kind.
).So now, I ask my readership – what do you think constitutes “life?”
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As a third year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine, my posts are intended to educate others and share my experiences from this incredible journey without violating patient privacy at all costs. These blurbs are not to serve as a replacement for recommendations provided by licensed physicians under any circumstance.Similar Posts
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Published: 3 years, 2 months ago
Hey, what’s up Rishi?
Great question, here’s my top 10 list for the characteristics of life:
1. Adaptation – Nicholas Cage taught us all about this one.
2. Reproduction – This might actually be more important than the above
3. Locomotion – How can we live if we can’t dance?
4. Homostasis – Stopping the gay community will eradicate HIV once and for all!
5. Low Entropy – Organization: plebeians, dentists, lawyers, then neurosurgeons. That’s right. Recognize.
6. Growth/Development – Because we can’t all take growth hormone like Yao. Sorry, but those Chinese gymnasts are not human.
7. Communication – makes life less lonely.
8. Metabolism – we eat, we sleep, we eat, we sleep.
9. Display Heredity – Sorry Rishi, but your child can’t be white.
10. The existence of a second life form – Like sound, does life exist if no one else is around to witness it? If a man is alone in a forest with no women anywhere in sight, is he still wrong? Yes, of course he is.
Published: 3 years, 2 months ago
I’m awe-struck. This has to be the most creative definition I have or will ever bare witness to. Not to mention that I laughed hysterically while reading it.
Published: 3 years, 2 months ago
must. stop. laughing. before. quit. living…
HILARIOUS
Published: 3 years, 2 months ago
I am laughig so hard at Dr. Claycomb comments. He is right. At least his list is anyway. Yes I thinking living things exhibit all the characteristics listed above by funny Dr. Claycomb, but my question to you Rishi is this “JUST BECAUSE IT IS LIVIG DOES IT MEAN IT HAS LIFE?” What is life is anyway? According to some people life begin at conception. This is when the zygote is form. The fusing of the sperm and the egg. As you know a zygote fits all the criteria above (adaptiation, growth, metabolism, and etc) but so is the person that is in coma. So does this mean it is wrong to take organ from a person who is brain dead and give to other when in fact he is consider a living and breathing human being, he has a life. This in term make abortion wrong too.
Some people consider that life is define by awareness. Awareness of who you are and your surrounding. However this begin aroud 1 year old to 14 months for some children. So accordig to this definition a child who is below the age of one does not have life since a child below the age of one is not aware of who they are and not aware of their surroundings.
Some said life begin with a heart beats this is the same as my first reason. Both embryo and brain dead or coma patient have heart beats. Is one life more vauble than the other? Should the embryo life be more vauble than the coma patient because it is innocent and its life in the process of beginning? Or should the coma patient life be more vaulable since he is a fully develop human being who has love and experience all the aspect that make life worth livig: laughter, love, tears, friendship, and the memories that goes with it? As you know both of these humanlack awareness,so are they livig or not.
Maybe no one know the defition to life Rishi. This is why organ donation become a problem for so many doctors when trying to get family consent to let their love one go so their organ can go to better usage. This is why abortion is such a controversial topic in religion and in poltiic. This is why embryonic stem cell is a controversial topic.
I am sorry I did not answer your question Rishi, but I hope I did break it down so you can understand why the definiton of life can be so CONTROVERSIAL !!!!