On the definition of life

Abel Schejter

Joseph Agassi

pp. 97-106

in: Journal for General Philosophy of Science 25 (1), 1994.

Abstract

Schrödinger's definition of life needs a slight modification to absorb the criticism of it. It is the comparison of the entropy level of a system before and after a process which makes one view it as living: we consider the stability of the deviation from the probable a sign of life. This explains why we do not hesitate to consider as remnants of living systems skeletons and fossils anywhere and physical culture on any archeological site.