[PatrickHenry]

PH, would it be accurate to say that if sufficient materials are present in common, the interactions between those materials produce amino acids, amino acids build structures, and structures take on the quality of being alive as in manipulating the environment to stave off entropy?

I'm not a biochemist, but that sounds pretty good to me. However, I'm not sure what you mean by "present in common," although I took it to mean "sufficiently present." Also, you say "amino acids build structures," and I take that to mean that they combine, according to the laws of chemistry, and thus more complex structures result. Eventually you can end up with a self-replicator, which creates copies of itself using materials present in the environment. I suppose I'm just editing your statement. In general, if I've understood you correctly, you've stated the concept fairly well. At least to my satisfaction.

[MHGinTN]

It fits what I perceive as the current understanding of how life came to be on planet earth, also. Does this senario preclude design that the process works that way?