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Discussion: An Overview of Life

#1

Obviously life is not a direct counter to entropy, even though life does have processes that interfere with the descend into entropy it does not stop it completely since all things have it in their nature to settle, that is to travel towards areas that are relatively empty compared to other areas. See Le Chateliers Principle for a basic understanding if what I said sounded confusing.

Nevertheless, all things that we currently see as life to some degree conflict with entropy such as what I said before about animals disequilibrium with external temperatures.

Assuming this is wrong though, how would you define life. In considering a definition, make sure not to base it upon what we know about life on Earth, but rather what trait all things with life must have. But the problem with this question is how to define life if we can only create a definition of life by observing it, but we don’t even know what life is without a definition. A catch 22 if you will.

P.S. Sorry if this sounds half-assed, I had something else much longer originally typed up, but it got deleted.

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#2

Yeah, life definitely wants to decrease entropy to make certain areas less uniform. I guess it’s a consequence of wanting to replicate. To to so, however, requires reactions that increase entropy overall, so disrupting equalibrium in one area (such as temperature) could make other areas more uniform (such as chemical potential).

I know that Quantum physics has a really good explaination for the 2nd law of thermodynamics, but that’s way beyond my paygrade, and i haven’t watched Rick and Morty yet :thonk:

As for my definition of life. I will admit outright that I am a terrible philosophy student. I tend to focus on the more practical side of things over why they are the way they are. I guess scientists have just been building on the definition as we go along. I personally thing that the definition of life should be changed as more specimens are found. Just like the set of subatomic particles, the definition of life can be refined later on, as more and more cases are added. Of course, that might lead to it becoming so complicated and having so many exceptions that it ceases to have meaning (kinda sounds like life). Right now, I personally want to define life as DNA based particles that use unfavorable local reactions (coupled with favorable reactions elsewhere) to propagate simply because it is the most practical definition right now.

Who knows, the definition of life could change any day with a good discovery or two. There are already some unconventional things that have characteristics of life, such as clay particles (have heridity, can replicate) and memes.

P.s. sorry for spelling of science mistakes, I’m all brained out at the moment. I has the dumb

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#3

Me too, let’s continue this tomorrow, its getting pretty late for me anyways.

#4

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