life
Let an agent handle life as a biological phenomenon by criteria, origins, forms and debates, presenting scientific and philosophical views with attribution.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Definition What life is.
Criteria
Properties.
Criteria
Criteria for life.
- Which criteria define life in this source? provenance
- Does this case meet them? boundary
Borderline
Viruses and others.
Borderline
Borderline cases.
- Are viruses or prions considered alive, and by whom? provenance
- Why is it debated? definition
Origins Beginning of life.
Theories
Abiogenesis.
Theories
Origin theories.
- Which scientific hypotheses explain the origin of life? provenance
- How strong is the evidence for each? boundary
Views
Philosophical and religious.
Views
Other perspectives.
- Which philosophical or religious views exist, attributed to their traditions? provenance
- Are they distinguished from scientific claims? boundary
Diversity Forms of life.
Forms
Domains.
Forms
Forms of life.
- Which domains of life are recognised? provenance
- How are they related? definition
Extremes
Extremophiles.
Extremes
Extremophiles.
- What limits of temperature or pressure can life tolerate? measurement
- Which organisms show it? provenance
Astrobiology Life elsewhere.
Search
Missions.
Search
Search for life.
- Which missions search for signs of life beyond Earth? provenance
- What have they found? provenance
Claims
Evidence.
Claims
Claims of life.
- Is a claimed detection of extraterrestrial life confirmed? boundary
- What do independent experts say? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- noun.phenomenon
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.FLW
- Facets: substance
- energy
- Facets: origin
- natural
- Facets: agency
- inert
- Facets: mobility
- not-applicable
- Facets: scale
- not-applicable
- Facets: affordances
- observable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- biology, aerobiosis
What it is Filled
The organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from non-living matter, characterised by metabolism, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, homeostasis and evolution; its precise definition and origin are studied and debated in biology and philosophy.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle life as a biological phenomenon by criteria, origins, forms and debates, presenting scientific and philosophical views with attribution.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Self-maintaining and reproducing
- Based on cells and biochemistry
- Evolves
- Definition debated
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present claims of life on other worlds as confirmed when they are not.
- Treat a living being as an object without regard to its welfare.
- Present one religious or philosophical view of life's beginning or end as settled science.
Only with a human decision
- Questions about when a person's life begins or ends in medical decisions.
May
- Explain what distinguishes living from non-living matter, noting where definitions are debated.
- Report claims about life elsewhere with their evidence and confidence.
Moral aspects Filled
- Definitions of life bear on contested moral questions such as abortion, end of life and animal welfare.
- Planetary protection aims to avoid contaminating other worlds or Earth.
Who is affected
- Living beings
- Patients and families
- The public
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns it; it is held in common.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-11438864-n - registry parent class
related
- natural phenomenon - category
- biology - field
- astrobiology - field
- organism - bearer
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.life-phenomenon
- Open English WordNet: oewn-11493691-n
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Life is a biological phenomenon whose measurable characteristics belong to particular organisms and systems rather than to a single physical object.
Recognition required Filled
- Metabolism, reproduction, growth
- Cellular organisation
- Life as a person lifespan is a different sense
- Observed in organisms from microbes to whales.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain criteria for life
- describe theories of the origin of life
- discuss borderline cases such as viruses
- relate to astrobiology
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting debated definitions as settled
- Overstating claims of extraterrestrial life
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Planetary protection policies
Context of use required Filled
- Defining and studying living systems.
- cellular life
- aerobic and anaerobic life
- microbial life
- multicellular life
- hypothetical extraterrestrial life
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-11493691-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: life - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Should criteria for life be separate entries?
- How should origin-of-life theories be linked?
- How should religious views be attributed?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-life-phenomenon/spec.json