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What does it mean to be "alive"

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
When we speak of life, most people think of a being with a physical body.
But is that the only life that can exist?

What does it mean to be alive?
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
When we speak of life, most people think of a being with a physical body.
But is that the only life that can exist?

What does it mean to be alive?
Since we have a discipline of science that explicitly has living things as topic, biology, I go with the definition of the biologists:

Life - Wikipedia
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I think you're conflating 'life' and 'existence.' Two entirely different things entirely in my understanding.
No I am not :) a picture can exist, but does I have life? I am thinking of living spirits or beings from other dimensions that do not have a physical body in our universe :)
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
No I am not :) a picture can exist, but does I have life? I am thinking of living spirits or beings from other dimensions that do not have a physical body in our universe :)

In my understanding, without a gross (physical) body, one is not "alive." The subtle and causal bodies may exist, but they are not "alive."
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
That is true, but is it only biological life that matter?
Only those matter to biologists. Other disciplines have other definitions.
Make up your own and check if it includes all what you want included and excludes all what you want excluded.
E.g. you could base life on information exchange and computers would be alive.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Only those matter to biologists. Other disciplines have other definitions.
Make up your own and check if it includes all what you want included and excludes all what you want excluded.
E.g. you could base life on information exchange and computers would be alive.
Computers in my view is not alive :)
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
Computers in my view is not alive :)
Neither in mine. That is why you have to make sure that your definition excludes them. A definition is a rule to decide if an entity goes into the set or not. And computers can get defined as alive when your definition is too weak.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Neither in mine. That is why you have to make sure that your definition excludes them. A definition is a rule to decide if an entity goes into the set or not. And computers can get defined as alive when your definition is too weak.
In my understanding alive means the being has a soul/spirit.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
So I take it you believe there is no alive spiritual beings ?

Sure there are. The ones that are occupying physical bodies.

As I see it, we are spiritual beings experiencing a human life. ;)
 
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