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From: eriks@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Erik Mark Seligman)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: computer life?
Message-ID: <6444@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 20 Feb 91 20:04:18 GMT
References: <1991Feb19.130832.9715@shiva.sci.com> <1991Feb19.163133.8664@news.larc.nasa.gov> <8617@castle.ed.ac.uk>
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Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
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In article <8617@castle.ed.ac.uk> eomu01@castle.ed.ac.uk (Hall) writes:
>The actual biological definition of a living organism can be described
>by the mnemonic "MERRING".

>Excretion - I hardly think that a computer is able to excrete metabolic
>            waste products from itself (unless you count the endless
>	    reams of garbage that I seem to be able to get out of them)!
>
>Respiration - This is the breaking down of some form of chemical energy
>   	      source. Whilst a computer may be said to require energy
>	      not many can be said to be able to make their own.
>
>Nutrition - Can a computer be said to feed itself? I think not.
>

     Each of these "failures" of the computer comes from one source:
the fact that we look at computers in isolation, apart from their power
sources.  If, for example, I hooked up a generator (operating on oil or
something) to my Mac, and called the resulting system a "computer", then
I could properly say that my computer excretes (CO2 from the burning of
the oil), and breathes/eats the oil itself.
     Not that I find these convincing criteria for life anyway...

                                   --- Erik

************************************************************************
*            Erik Seligman, eriks@phoenix.princeton.edu                *
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
* "An eye for an eye,            |  "An eye for an eye                 *
*    a tooth for a tooth."       |    leaves the world blind."         *
*             --Hammurabi        |                    - Gandhi         *
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