Originally posted by Allianceentities that give out energy sources? Electro magnetic fields, BIO energy fields, Photons. These seem to have some different type of "alive" or energy intelligence....They seem to act with some sort of intellect, especially the photons.
There ARE no such things...give me an example of non-biological life.
Originally posted by Alliance
Life is organic. There is no separation.
True, but there are people who when they think "Organic" think grass and trees and people and things like that, and that that is the only kind of "organic life" there is, where as if one described a prion, or the concept of silicon-based life they would say "but that isn't organic" because it doesn't meet the preconceived notion of "organic" and thus, by extension biological.
Originally posted by Imperial_Samura
True, but there are people who when they think "Organic" think grass and trees and people and things like that, and that that is the only kind of "organic life" there is, where as if one described a prion, or the concept of silicon-based life they would say "but that isn't organic" because it doesn't meet the preconceived notion of "organic" and thus, by extension biological.
Well, the reason being...is that silicon based life doesn't exist.
Straw man argument...you set a false point and then disprove it.
Originally posted by Alliance
Well, the reason being...is that silicon based life doesn't exist.Straw man argument...you set a false point and then disprove it.
I don't think I am actually trying to set a point at all. Just explaining where Debbiejo was coming from and the thought set behind some people.
And besides, I haven't actually said silicon based life, but rather the concept of it, it was popular a few years ago, that theory, for some. No idea if it still is.
Originally posted by Alliance
I'm not awre that it is. Silicon has many weird properties that make it very un-carbon like.
Not any more I don't think, but I remember picking up an old text book a couple of years back, think it was late 80's, maybe early 90's. Anyway I know it had a little bit in the origins of life section on alternate theories, one of which was "silicon based life" - first time I had ever seen it in a non-sci-fi setting. I assumed that it must have had at least a little following to get considered like that.
Anyway, as I said I have no idea if it is still a theory of interest to anyone, I doubt it. But then again you never know with some of the fringe groups.
Originally posted by Alliance
In 1952 silicon based life was the basis of the alien species (Ullerans) in the novel Uller Uprising (a novel based off of the Sepoy mutiny). It is widely considered the first novel that is proto-US military science fiction.
Ah, proto-US military science fiction. A trend that seems to have survived far to well in so much of the pulp type sci-fi.
somwhat. The sub-genre crystallized in 1958 with Heinlein's Starship Troopers . American Military SF had its influences on pulp SF, but they are considered different genres.
AMSF is a facinating genre. I wrote a very large thesis on it...tracing its origins and how it describes the rise and change of American militarism during the cold war.
Of course, the genre has changed significantly since 1992. But, it always was changing anyway.
Fascinating.