Does Life Have a Meaning? Essay

The biological significance of this article is due in part to the fact that viruses are being considered as partway-living things. Even though they are only halfway living, per se, they are still an important part of the study of living things because of the unique way in which they “live” and continue to reproduce by taking advantage of host cells. The information in this article relates to biologists in that viruses provide an entirely different element of potential life, as they are a cause for reconsideration when it comes to defining and determining life and non-life forms. This

Gabbatiss establishes his role as a conveyer of truth by referencing authorities in their respective fields. A look at the virology perspective reveals that the section is based almost entirely on expert opinion; neither the author’s analysis nor his personal beliefs are reflected in an explicit manner. The section begins with a textbook statement: “‘They are not cells, they have no metabolism, and they are inert as long as they do not encounter a cell, so many people (including many scientists) conclude that viruses are not living,’ says Patrick Forterre, a microbiologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France”, and later reveals Forterre’s personal belief that virus’s are alive (Gabbatiss). The deliberate centralization of the section around Forterre, whose research has shown the evolutionary and darwinistic tendencies of viruses despite the common beliefs of the scientific community, implies that a line has yet to be drawn (Forterre 151). Gabbatiss then acknowledges other scientists whose research paralleled or supported that of Forterre’s, referring to them as simply “others” or “some scientists” (Gabbatiss), thus driving the focus of

It is often argued whether viruses are living or not. Those who don’t believe that viruses are living generally base their opinion off of the fact that they do not follow the basic definition of “life”. They do not carry out life-sustaining functions on their own like normal organisms. On the other side of the argument, some believe that viruses are in fact, living beings, which is where I rest my opinion.

I think the point Leavitt is making is that it is very hard to come up a specific definition for life. In the passage, Leavitt is challenged to find ways to prove the group’s definition is wrong. At first glance, the definition seems really practical. The group’s definition is that if something can hold energy, then it could be considered a living organism. Leavitt proves them wrong by bringing in common objects that we would consider nonliving. He shows that just because something changes because of the environment, doesn’t mean that it’s living. A nonliving thing can seem like it’s reacting to the environment because of other principles that apply to it. If Leavitt can prove a theory wrong, I think that he should come up with a theory that

Have you ever wondered if something was actually living? Have you considered a seed to be living? Well, it is! In this essay, the purpose is to argue my stance on if a mystery object is a complete living organism or if it is any other life process. In our science class, we have been conducting a mystery object lab. We have been observing a mystery object to find out if the object is a living organism or not. I believe that the mystery object belongs in “A living organism in a dormant stage.” I believe it should be in this category because it is capable to execute some characteristics instead of a non living object that cannot do any of the characteristics.

I think the point Leavitt is making is how life is a very complicated subject to try to understand. There may not ever be a true definition to the word “life”. Like Leavitt said, “One could always find exceptions.” There is still no true distinction from living and nonliving things. Yes, all living things are supposed to possess the traits of being able to reproduce, maintain homeostasis, take in a form of energy whether it's through direct food intake, or from sunlight, and so on and so forth. However, sometimes one thing that we may consider a “living thing” might not contain all of these traits. One example is a virus. Some people say it's alive others say it's not. It can respond to stimuli, has DNA to pass to offspring, and other simple

First of all, let us establish what characterizes something as living, and as an organism. The characteristics of a living thing are as follows: Consume energy, consume water, complete gas exchanges, eliminate waste, grow, reproduce, and respond to the environment. For an entity to be classified as living, it must be all of those characteristics. An organism is a living thing that can function completely independently.

Are viruses alive? According to the scientists, life is a wonderful, unbelievable discovery. Scientist came up with multiple criteria and requirements in order to determine life. For example, homeostasis, growth and development, reproduction and more. Animals and plants are life, they can maintain their homeostasis, they grow and develop in size, structure and animals also grow in mental complexity.

Every cell on Earth has certain things in common; such as a plasma membrane, the presence of DNA and the ability to respond to stimuli, as well as reproduce. Some things such as viruses can seem to be living; however, the lack the ability to reproduce by themselves and instead they tack advantage of the amazing ability of most cells to produce macromolecules and to produce daughter cells from a parent cell. Just like every human being is born, undergoes a period of growth and eventually dies; so does each individual cell that composes that human being. In addition, just as human beings undergo a period of maturation that if they pass a certain level of physical maturity, they may reproduce; so do the cells that compose said human being. In

In order for something to be considered alive, its life should fulfill each of the nine properties of life. The first property of life is order, or the ability of an organism to function and maintain homeostasis. This means an organism can regulate itself biologically so that it is not subjecting itself to physical deterioration. The second property of life is metabolism. Metabolism and order go hand in hand. Organisms must produce energy and be able to convert it into a usable form for regulating homeostasis. Without sound metabolic function, organisms would not be able to thrive and their bodily functions would not be predictable. The third property of life is motility. Motility is the ability to move spontaneously and actively. This

With regards to vitalism and mechanism, there lacks a distinct boundary separating these two scientific philosophies. However, their implications and biases when slanted either particular way are significant enough to observe. Natural history has been the subject of great debate, scrutiny, and passion amongst many scientists from early on in biology to present times. Currently mechanism has risen to be the dominant theory in biology, but not without hardship and deep philosophical reasoning supported by empirical evidence. To understand these two philosophies, it’s imperative to establish a clear understanding of what each category represents. The mechanistic philosophy purports that life operates as mechanical process governed by the fundamental physical laws provided via the universe. This philosophy goes further in thought that there is not necessarily a designer or ultimate purpose for the execution of life in general. In contrast, vitalist philosophy claims that there is an innate specific quality and function that gives existence its ultimate characteristics. Folks in this line of thought tend to argue further that there is definite design and purpose living entities, implying the existence of a celestial super power or being that interacts making life what it is. A pronounced example of a naturalist who conceded with this line of thought was Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon. Referring to his paper “From the natural history of animals…” published in 1761, Buffon

Life has no meaning if you don't have the urge to wake up the next morning to see the next day. Many people live their lives unhappy since they have no purpose or meaning to fulfill or satisfy their needs. Purpose to me is something to live for and something to look forward to in life. Without purpose and meaning in life there is no point of living at all. Recently in the existentialism unit we’ve been reading, I learned that without a passion to live, one’s life means nothing and is a waste of a soul. Based on the previous books I’ve read, I learned I am happy because I have things to look forward to in life and to wake up the next morning to enjoy the new day. Three elements that give me purpose and meaning in my life are my family, my

Before the Scientific Revolution began to take shape around the year 1550, the world of science was exceedingly narrow and thought to be known. The scientific views of the pre-scientific revolution stem back even further than the popular Aristotelian era of science. Hippocrates contributed greatly to the field of science, especially in the field of medicine. It was during his years of medical studies that Hippocrates theorized the “Four Temperaments”. This theory hypothesized that there are four bodily fluids in a human that affect that human’s personality and behavior. The bodily fluids were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. These four temperaments were also to have been thought to be linked or associated with a vital force. If these bodily fluids, known as humors, became imbalanced then it is said to have an effect on a person’s mood, emotions, or behaviors. The vital force which was tied to these temperaments was said to be a type of force that had no connection to physical or chemical forces. This unknown force, although unnamed during its period of belief, was a philosophical principle known as Vitalism. Vitalism had been the belief and basis of scientific method for years before Hippocrates. Vitalism is the life-giving force that enables living organisms to function. It was thought that an organism contains a form of energy within which completes and animates it. Up until the start of the scientific revolution, vitalism had been the foundation of biological

Some say life is a journey while others say it’s an ordeal and right in the midst of these contrasting opinions we struggle to find the true meaning and purpose of life. For good sixteen years of my life I also found myself sparing with this conundrum then one fine day I found these words in my tenth standard text book “I sought to hear the voice of God and climb the topmost steeple, but God said go down again I dwell among the people.” At that time I had no idea how these lines written by an anonymous would shape the trajectory of my life and be integrally pivotal to my career in medicine.

According to the “Oxford English Dictionary”, ‘life’ is a noun that is defined as, “The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.” (OED Online, Oxford University Press). So, it’s technically saying that life is the development and change of a living thing until it dies. Scientifically, that’s correct but there’s a much deeper meaning to life than given. There are about 7 billion human beings living on this earth at this moment. Each has their own unique life and destiny to follow. Everyone faces different challenges in life which supports the meaning of life being a unique set of experiences that lead people to their happiest and truest selves.