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From: oleary@ux.acs.umn.edu (Doc O'Leary)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: computer life?
Summary: Life-form, not biological life
Message-ID: <3319@ux.acs.umn.edu>
Date: 21 Feb 91 06:59:14 GMT
References: <1991Feb19.130832.9715@shiva.sci.com> <1991Feb19.163133.8664@news.larc.nasa.gov> <8617@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Minnesota, Academic Computing Services
Lines: 38

In article <8617@castle.ed.ac.uk> eomu01@castle.ed.ac.uk (Hall) writes,
among other things:

>The actual biological definition of a living organism can be described
>by the mnemonic "MERRING".
>
>Movement
>Excretion
>Respiration
>Reproduction
>Irritability
>Nutrition
>Growth

Would you, then, say that a person in a severe coma is not a living organism?
The person would fail, like a computer, to meet 5 of the 7 above (perhaps
even all 7).

Couldn't you, likewise, say that computer viruses are living organisms
(biological?) because they meet at least 5 of the above 7?

A *computer* is not a life-form anymore than is a corpse.  Each is merely a
system that has the potential to "contain" life.  Without proper "software,"
neither can be considered a life-form.

I'd say a major difficulty with this discussion is the varied definitions of
life.  Though there are similarities that make different life-forms analogous,
the definition of computer life should not be the same as that of biological
life.


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