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From: tullis@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: talk.origins
Subject: What's this LIFE stuff?
Message-ID: <45500088@uiucdcs>
Date: Fri, 19-Sep-86 07:28:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.45500088
Posted: Fri Sep 19 07:28:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Sep-86 23:47:05 EDT
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Nf-ID: #N:uiucdcs:45500088:000:1166
Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!tullis    Sep 19 06:28:00 1986



	It seems this notesfile has drifted far away from its beginnings, which
were to be discussing origins. Either it rambles into long pedantic
arguements about whether there is or is not a god or God, and what he/she
looks like and eats for breakfast; or we get long `scientific' ramblings
about punctuated or periodic or gradual evolution (assumed as Law, like
Law of Gravity, rather than theory); or totally psuedo-scientific or
quasi-mystical bullshit about the `felt affect of gravity', etc.

	So, I challenge anyone who reads this notesfile to the following
challenge. The challenge is:

		What is LIFE?

	If we want to discuss the origin of life...we should know what this
`life' stuff is. Think conceptually and abstractly, in the sense that if
(a definite hypothetical example) we go (someday) to other planets both
in this and other solar systems, how will we recognize primitive life forms?
	Some things are definitely alive (I am, and you presumably are if
you are reading this). But how do we definitely draw the line between life
and non-life? What properties does a system have to have to be A LIVING
ORGANISM?
		What is LIFE? (Post all responses here)