Quote:
Originally Posted by shadowman
A baby after it's been born is till not a living function being capable of surviving. Also if something is alive it must be life, life is something that is alive. You can keep a person alive on machines, if you are keeping them alive in no way are they dead, you are talking nonsense.
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Maybe I should clarify, there are actual rules to biological life, here they are:
The first calculates an organism being 'alive':
The "ability to reproduce", or to make copies of itself, whether reproduction or cellular growth.
The second constitutes 'life':
It must "acquire particular molecules and use them in controlled chemical reactions that maintain conditions suitable for life and that contribute growth."
(- Scott Freeman)
A young being, outside the womb, has the ability to 'maintain conditions satiable for life', but when inside the womb does not, it works in conjunction (actually it works against the host) to grow. However, if the organism is able to survive once outside the womb, even if taken out by force, it is a form of life.
Here is another example: A seed has the capability to grow by itself, but is not considered a plant even in very early stages of growth; it must be rooted in order to distinguish it as a life form. The same with the human fetus, it is indistinguishable from other animals at an early stage.