Expert: Walter Hintz - 8/27/2005

Question
1) What is the exact defination of life?
I want a detailed answer. I have look for it in stanford encyclopedia of philosophy in wikipedia but I am not satisfied.
2) What is the exact mechanism which evolves consciousness in a living organism ?

Answer
Hi Hemant;
1. This is really a very difficult question and cannot really be answered because it is to big.  But biologists have a neat trick we use when confronted with a difficult question.  We substitute smaller related qiestions for the big question.  Instead of "what is Life?" we ask " What is meant by the term living?"  This we can answer. So we list the characteristics of living things. This gives us and understanding of what life is.(movement,metabolism,responsiveness etc.)

2.Most biologists would agree that consciousness requires a central nervous system with a well developed brain.  There is a big difference between being responsive to the environment and being conscious of your surroundings.  I have a tarantula in a terrarium in my room here that responds to her surroundings but if conscious would really be bored out of her tiny brain.