From life to life

the multiplicity of the living

pp. 56-59

in: Roy Ascott, Gerald Bast, Wolfgang Fiel, Margarete Jahrmann, Ruth Schnell (eds), New realities, Berlin, Springer, 2009

Abstract

The idea — or definition — of life is indeed very challenging and fascinating, but we don't really know exactly what is, even from a scientific viewpoint. There are many definitions of life, representing the disciplines which gave birth to these statements. So, to give some examples, life could be in turn: "what is born and grows, procreates and dies" (in biology); "a continuous flux of energy and information" (in evolutionary biology); "what is able to procreate and correct the reproductive errors by means of the natural selection" (in neodarwinism); "what can contrast entropy preserving its physical structure constant in time and with the ability to reproduce an entity similar to itself" (in physics); "what can absorb free energy in the forms of solar light or chemical potential energy (food and oxygen) and use this energy in order to grow in accordance with the instructions coded in its genes" (in biochemistry); "an organism is a delimited system open to a matter and energy flux, which can maintain steady its internal composition and keep intact its physical state in a changing environment, that is to remain in homeostasis" (in geophysiology).