The biggest trouble with 'life' is that people like categories, when it may not be possible to categorize some things, particularly since, very often categories need reassessment when we learn something new. Planets recently are a vague example. We know why the term was coined- Greek for wondering star, and seemed so simple before telescopes. Recently there was much argument and excitement as to whether Pluto should still be considered a planet. While we argued, Pluto hadn't changed a bit. Only the name and perhaps the way it is described. It's like we are trying to find a definition of life that we can relate directly to our association with it. From what we keep discovering about the intri...

The biggest trouble with 'life' is that people like categories, when it may not be possible to categorize some things, particularly since, very often categories need reassessment when we learn something new. Planets recently are a vague example. We know why the term was coined- Greek for wondering star, and seemed so simple before telescopes. Recently there was much argument and excitement as to whether Pluto should still be considered a planet. While we argued, Pluto hadn't changed a bit. Only the name and perhaps the way it is described. It's like we are trying to find a definition of life that we can relate directly to our association with it. From what we keep discovering about the intricacy of biology, physics,chemistry, and the universe in general it seems likely to be a definition we will have to reconsider quite often.