Robot? A debate about what constitutes being "alive"

[Sinophile]

What if we created life from nothing? Things that fully constitute being animals. I don't know.. Even just a tribble type creature. Is that alive? (counter arguing myself...).

Actually, someone else posted a topic about a geneticist that had constructed a full synthetic life form from scratch a few weeks ago, but it got less than a page worth of replies. Google "Fully synthetic life form" for more info.

 

 

Not everything acedemicaly described as a living organism has a genetic code-some have RNA.

Those would be viruses, which are still dependant on other living beings for survival.

 

And not everything alive can react to stimulus.

Not everything reacts to all stimuli( I.E. a rabbit cannot detect radio waves, a plant cannot see), but everything alive has to at least have a reaction to at least one form of stimuli, even if it is something as simple as photosynthesis.

 

The real point of this is to discuss what "alive" means in the first place=with an eye towards machines.

If I may paraphrase what you just wrote, are you asking,"Can a machine be alive, if so, at what point can we consider a machine a living being?"

 

fibromuscular synthetic being IS atleats decades away, though the supporting technology isnt as outlandish as you'd think.

Earlier in this topic, you talked about materials. I've seen some robots from Japan who are very lifelike, that move, speak, and to a limited extent, interact with humans. Still, we don't consider them alive, because they are comprised of copper, aluminum, foam, and latex.

Now, if one could make a synthetic, inorganic(as opposed to being made out of living tissue), replica of the human muscle system, I personally would not consider it alive unless it was being controlled by an entity advanced enough to be aware of it's own existence.

[Keanumoreira]

I'd say it's possible; they've already made a rat brain control a small robot that learns from trial and error. Technology is far more advanced than we think. :geek:

[antonkr]

I am the only thing that is alive.

I can't be wrong because I don't know if anything is alive.

I know that I am alive because I can feel and I can live.

Who knows. Others may not be alive just be some machines.

You would say I am wrong but can I be right?

We can't know because we are one and only one.

[Thor.]

Yo check this out, the first robot to experience emotions. Its a must see.

 

It seems to work like smileys though, and it doesn't actually show emotions just mimics them, but its a step forward.

 

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/aug/09/nao-robot-develop-display-emotions