Originally posted by King KandySo by this definition of life how many does it need to meet to be considered life? If a woman can't reproduce is she not considered alive? Here cells still reproduce so that would make them alive but she can't? What about people that can't regulate their body temperature?
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.
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.
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?
Originally posted by King Kandy
But the plant as a whole (the organism) is growing, so it meets the criteria.
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.
Originally posted by King Kandy
I just provided one that is accepted by most biologists.
all of whom would mention to you the precariousness of what you are trying to do.
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.
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
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?
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.
Originally posted by inimalist
all of whom would mention to you the precariousness of what you are trying to do.
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
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: YesThat is 4 out of 7 and would be considered a majority.
Originally posted by King KandyMany do grow in file size as it adds in the information from your system and will update it self as new information is introduce into your computer. All most all computer virus adapt to the system that they infect some will move themselves thought out systems in response to anti-virus programs and many are cross system compatible.
I'm not sure about the growth and adaption ones.
Originally posted by King KandyYou 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.
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.
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.
Re: Stephen Hawking
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 HawkingSo it is true?
How is the virus any more alive than the computer?
Originally posted by King KandyThat is only one type there is many self learning programs that will alter their own code such as creating new rules and code in response to a changing environment without any interaction from a user. You have computer viruses that have built in anti-virus programming that will attack other virus that infect your computer. You have some that when attempting to delete the will duplicate and write their code to try and prevent further deletion, this is in direct response to a threat.
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.