Worldly Topics: Defining Life - A Second Try

A rock, not alive. A tree, This article makes reference to: Life - The Definition

Garrin made an excellent point Comments Posted by Garrin.  To Summarize his findings, Garrin noted that my definition only included one, not the whole.  When we look at life we have to collectively look at the group or species not just the individual or the 'object', as I have used.  Some 'objects', the infertile woman as an example, do not fit in the definition of life.

My previous definition of life:

     'Life is an object that has the ability to metabolize, reproduce sexually or
      asexually, or adapt to its environment.' (Michael Lombardi)

Actually, I used the term 'object' throughout my entire thought process and definition of inanimate and dead.  Object can be defined as follows:

      'Anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form' (1)

A human being is visible (we have yet to produce that sought after invisibility lotion) and tangible.  I can see and feel, only if I am allowed, other human beings.  Relatively stable is an interesting concept because there is no concrete definition of relative.  In relation to what is this object stable?  Compare a human to a radioactive isotope and we are extremely stable.  Compare a human to rotation of the earth about the sun and we are highly instable.  In the context of this article, to define life, we will define everything on earth and in the universe as stable.

If the definition of life began as a concrete rule:

      'Life is an object that has the ability to metabolize, reproduce sexually or
      asexually, or adapt to its environment.' (Michael Lombardi)

Then proceed to add exceptions to this rule, we would summarize the definition of life as follows:

      'Life: an insignificant rule with infinite exceptions to the rule'

As such, the rule must be defined to eliminate as many exceptions as possible.  As Garrin noted in his comments:

      'A human, alone as an individual is not alive for he/she has no
      chance to reproduce.' (Comments Posted By Garrin)

Therefore, we are all inanimate by definition.

Redefine: Life is a collection of or group of objects that has the ability to metabolize and reproduce sexually or asexually, or adapt to its environment.

Please note the ands and ors.  To be alive, The collection of or group of objects must be able to metabolize and reproduce sexually or asexually.  If this condition is not met, the collection of or group of objects must be able to adapt to its environment.  If one or the other of these conditions is met, the collection of or group of objects is alive.

Redefine: A dead object is a member of a collection of or group of objects that is or once was alive that can no longer metabolize.

Michael Lombardi


References:

1. American Psychological Association (APA):
object. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/object