Don’t they use different definitions, depending upon whether they are asking if a human is alive, if a human’s arm is alive, or if a single cell within a human’s arm is alive?
(Okay, so, it’s obvious that if you have to explain a joke, the joke was never that funny. Still, here’s my explanation. Your post seemed like something someone would write if they were trying to find necessary and sufficient conditions for a term which probably doesn’t even refer to a natural kind. So, I made a silly summary of a possible meaning as use definition.)
However, based on your response, I don’t understand why you would ask “What is life?”. You seem to already understand the problematic nature of that particular concept.
(Also, you definitely should have titled your post “What is the meaning of ‘life?’”)
‘Life’ is a term used by biologists to describe that subset of chemical phenomena which is their purview.
Don’t they use different definitions, depending upon whether they are asking if a human is alive, if a human’s arm is alive, or if a single cell within a human’s arm is alive?
(Okay, so, it’s obvious that if you have to explain a joke, the joke was never that funny. Still, here’s my explanation. Your post seemed like something someone would write if they were trying to find necessary and sufficient conditions for a term which probably doesn’t even refer to a natural kind. So, I made a silly summary of a possible meaning as use definition.)
However, based on your response, I don’t understand why you would ask “What is life?”. You seem to already understand the problematic nature of that particular concept.
(Also, you definitely should have titled your post “What is the meaning of ‘life?’”)