How do you define life? is a computer virus "life" ?

Question

How do you define life? is a computer virus "life" ?

Answer 1

Organic Matter which reproduces and feeds.

Science Fiction writers have often tried to introduce us to the "human" robot such as Philip K d**k (the film Bicentennial Man was based on one of his).  It is a philosophical question in these cases whether the robot has a mind and is therefore allowed the same "rights" as living people.

However no such robot exists in our time so it's back to the original definition.  A computer virus cannot be alive as it is not organic.

Answer 2

Here's my own boiled down definition: something that feeds, excretes, grows, seeks to maintain its own existance and reproduces.

Conventional definition: something that has the following seven characteristics.

(1)

Homeostasis: Regulation of the internal environment to maintain a constant state; for example, sweating to reduce temperature.

(2)

Organization: Being composed of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.

(3)

Metabolism: Consumption of energy by converting nonliving material into cellular components (anabolism) and decomposing organic matter (catabolism). Living things require energy to maintain internal organization (homeostasis) and to produce the other phenomena associated with life.

(4)

Growth: Maintenance of a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. A growing organism increases in size in all of its parts, rather than simply accumulating matter. The particular species begins to multiply and expand as the evolution continues to flourish.

(5)

Adaptation: The ability to change over a period of time in response to the environment. This ability is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the organism's heredity as well as the composition of metabolized substances, and external factors present.

(6)

Response to stimuli: A response can take many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. A response is often expressed by motion, for example, the leaves of a plant turning toward the sun or an animal chasing its prey.

(7)

Reproduction: The ability to produce new organisms. Reproduction can be the division of one cell to form two new cells. Usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from at least two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.

So, under these terms, a computer virus is NOT alive. But  neither is a biological virus according to many people. Viruses are right on the border between living and nonliving. Some biologists currently see the virus as a nonliving infectious particle. Other biologists disagree and suggest they are alive because of what happens inside the host cell.

Your question is concise but deep and far reaching.

Hmm.

Answer 3

The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.

The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.

Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.

A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.

The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.

The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life.

The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life.

A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life.

The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life.

Slang. A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.

The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car.

A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.

An account of a person's life; a biography.

Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life.

A manner of living: led a hard life.

A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: “Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them” (New Republic).

The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York.

A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show.

Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life.

Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life.

Actual environment or reality; nature.

Answer 4

There is no universal definition of life; there are a variety of definitions proposed by different scientists. To define life in unequivocal terms is still a challenge for scientists.[5][6]

Conventional definition: Often scientists say that life is a characteristic of organisms that exhibit the following phenomena:

Homeostasis: Regulation of the internal environment to maintain a constant state; for example, sweating to reduce temperature.

Organization: Being composed of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.

Metabolism: Consumption of energy by converting nonliving material into cellular components (anabolism) and decomposing organic matter (catabolism). Living things require energy to maintain internal organization (homeostasis) and to produce the other phenomena associated with life.

Growth: Maintenance of a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. A growing organism increases in size in all of its parts, rather than simply accumulating matter. The particular species begins to multiply and expand as the evolution continues to flourish.

Adaptation: The ability to change over a period of time in response to the environment. This ability is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the organism's heredity as well as the composition of metabolized substances, and external factors present.

Response to stimuli: A response can take many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. A response is often expressed by motion, for example, the leaves of a plant turning toward the sun or an animal chasing its prey.

Reproduction: The ability to produce new organisms. Reproduction can be the division of one cell to form two new cells. Usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from at least two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.

Answer 5

Life is a great gift from God with Love. Computer virus is not life, it kills or destroy the system of the computer.