Replies

allmendream's definition of life:

An organization of molecules that consumes energy in order to maintain and replicate its molecular organization.

By your definition, I do not believe the blessed virgin Mary would be considered alive.

Alamo-Girl's definition of life:

Information (Shannon, successful communication): the reduction of uncertainty (Shannon entropy) in the receiver (or molecular machine) as it goes from a before state to an after state.

Living things communicate. Non-living and dead things do not communicate. And that distinction applies at all hierarchies from molecular machinery to organism to collectives to here and there, to physical and non-physical. It is universal because it is math.

By the Shannon definition, the blessed virgin Mary is alive even though she is not in the flesh. Ditto for our spirits even while in the flesh.

So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit. – I Cor 15:42-45

To me, the unreasonable effectiveness of math (Wigner) is like God's copyright notice on the cosmos.

Jesus' Name is Word.