What is the Definiton of Life?
The definition of life, while at first glance an easy proposition, proves to be incredibly difficult. Every proposed definition of life suffers from one of two problems: The definition is sufficiently broad that it allows things generally accepted as non-living to be defined as alive; or is so specific that should more exotic forms of life come to light, they might not fit the classic view. The most common definition of life requires that a thing meet seven criteria to be considered alive. Some definitions do not require all seven be present, while others require additional components be present. The basic criteria for life are: Growth: A living organism must grow in some manner, most often by converting external materials into progeny or additional mass. Stimulus Response: Living organisms must respond to stimuli in their environment. The amount of stimuli responded to may vary, as may the specific responses, but there must be some interface between the organism and the external world
The definition of life, while at first glance an easy proposition, proves to be incredibly difficult. Every proposed definition of life suffers from one of two problems: The definition is sufficiently broad that it allows things generally accepted as non-living to be defined as alive; or is so specific that should more exotic forms of life come to light, they might not fit the classic view. The most common definition of life requires that a thing meet seven criteria to be considered alive. Some definitions do not require all seven be present, while others require additional components be present. The basic criteria for life are: • Growth: A living organism must grow in some manner, most often by converting external materials into progeny or additional mass. • Stimulus Response: Living organisms must respond to stimuli in their environment. The amount of stimuli responded to may vary, as may the specific responses, but there must be some interface between the organism and the external w
