quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
Well in order to answer "is a computer virus alive?" we would need a definition. This definition is BY FAR the most commonly accepted one, so it's the one i'm using.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I'm not talking about computer viruses. I'm talking about like the common cold.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
The definition applies to the species as a whole. Not the individual organisms. And you'd still be alive if you met the majority of the criteria.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
If you're talking about Multi-celluar organisms, the organism as a whole is alive. If you're talking about the sort of "cluster organisms" found among Protists, I have no idea. But I think both would apply.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
But the plant as a whole (the organism) is growing, so it meets the criteria.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy

I just provided one that is accepted by most biologists.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy

Viruses are not considered alive because they don't meet the criteria... i'm not sure what you want. Obviously the way to tell if something is alive is to see if it meets the biological definition, that's how EVERYTHING is defined.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
So you don't think there is a difference between life and non-life? I'm not really getting your point.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
then computer viruses should also be alive.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
Why is that?

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
The definition applies to the species as a whole. Not the individual organisms. And you'd still be alive if you met the majority of the criteria.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by inimalist
I don't think you are adequately addressing the question asked. Are you saying that the neurons in my brain or my skin cells are not living organisms?

quote: (post)

Originally posted by inimalist
ok, I never asked if the plant was alive. I am questioning the application of the term life to single cellular organisms within a multi-cellular organism.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by inimalist
all of whom would mention to you the precariousness of what you are trying to do.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by inimalist
yes, scientifically objective criteria. Read "the ancestor's tale" by Dawkins, it will explain these very fuzzy lines in biological definitions to you.

my point is that it is a useless exercise to say whether X is alive or not

quote: (post)

Originally posted by inimalist
at what level and what objective criteria would one use to differentiate between these things?

quote: (post)

Originally posted by Da Pittman
So let us take a look at the list to a computer virus.

Homeostasis: No
Organization: No
Metabolism: No
Growth: Yes
Adaptation: Yes
Response to stimuli: Yes
Reproduction: Yes

That is 4 out of 7 and would be considered a majority.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
I'm not sure about the growth and adaption ones.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
Yes but those are all things that it was programmed to do from the beginning. In it's evasion efforts, it does not actually modify it's own code, merely executes pre-programed operations.

quote:

I feel a round about coming on

quote: (post)

Originally posted by Da Pittman
You can say the same thing about the cells in our body, they are preprogrammed to do what they do however there are many advance programs out there that do “learn” and re-write their own code and evolve from their original program.

quote: (post)

Originally posted by Da Pittman
"I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image." --Stephen Hawking

So it is true?

quote: (post)

Originally posted by King Kandy
Yes Metamorphic viruses will rewrite their own code but it is only the insertion of junk data and rearrangement, the new data is not an adaption to a specific threat.