Are automobiles living beings ?

[Rare and Unusual Human Creature]

Excuse me, but what the ****? Years ago I saw this tv show - one of the weirdest I've ever seen - arguing that cars were somehow alive. They spent a half hour or an hour going over all this "evidence" and telling us "secrets". And then, at the very end, they said "by the way, this whole thing has been a joke".

Is this guy stealing the joke, or what?

[GreyWeather]

What a waste of my time...

and you what? made that time back by commenting on that?

[quasar_kid]

MY BREADSTICK IS TALKING TO ME!!!!!!

[fallingalien]

tha'ts kinda like saying computers are alive.

I'm so sure, a car can have a heart attack, just becasue it's simallar don't mean it is that

[louie]

oh no ive insulted my toaster and now its having a crisis, i better go

[Raptor]

All matter is alive. example: Is your left foot not alive? does it have a mind of its own? no, does it have free will? no you have control over it. does that then mean it is not alive? Its alive like everything else. all a part of gods feelers. The definition of life, existence.

It's composed of millions of cells (which are most obviously alive), it grows, reacts to stimuli, manages chemical exchanges, excretes etc. It is alive.

[frogfish]

it grows, reacts to stimuli, manages chemical exchanges, excretes etc. It is alive.

THAT is the definition of alive

[TeraLink]

Hahaha. Finally, some new sport to hunt . Ima be having some Hummer steak tonight.

TeraLink Was Here!

[SAMURAI-X]

So will i see my old sundance when i goto heaven?

[shakti_junkie]

You guys arent thinking about this deep enough, perhaps arent capable. most of the responses ive heard are either reactions of anger or attempts to be funny. If anybody would like to take a serious look at this topic in debate please PM me.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

a single cell structure has a nucleus, which functions as the brain of the organism...it controls the movement of the cell, ribosomes, membrane, ect.

Not true of all cells. A red blood cell has no nucleus, yet is no less alive than a white blood cell.

i think that living beings should be defined as organisms with a DNA structure

This could prove to be too narrow a definition. It is quite conceivable that an alien life form could have a similar but not identical chemical as the carrier of information.

All matter is alive.

This statement is provably untrue. When I die I will, by defintion, no longer be alive. I will, however still be matter, therefore not all matter is alive.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Waspie_Dwarf

[lonelyalpacafarmer]

I will consider cars alive when they grow by themselves.

[shakti_junkie]

This statement is provably untrue. When I die I will, by defintion, no longer be alive. I will, however still be matter, therefore not all matter is alive.

alas signs of "intelligent" life on this forum board. nice argument but while you may seize to exist in your host, the host is still alive for the time being. although on its way out its dying, it hasnt died yet. Or is it really dying? As I said in a previous statement all life is dependant upon other lifeforms to maintain its own existence or form of existence. The question is are we our bodies? even when the corpse has completely turned to dust, it has not died it has simply recreated itself. I think most of us know that we all originated from star dust... our bodies have. Energy cannot be destroyed, only recreated.

Edited May 22, 2006 by shakti_junkie

[Captain Rachael]

Its a scary thought.

"The Revolt of the Cars"

Anyway, living things are composed of cells. One cell (amoeba - unicellular) or Multicellular (Animalia, Plantae, Fungi). Cars - correct me if im wrong - are not made out of such cells.

Ack! I really cannot be bothered explaining.

This is where Wikipedia comes to the rescue:

A conventional definition

While there is no universal agreement on the definition of life, scientists generally accept that the biological manifestation of life exhibits the following phenomena:

Organization - Living things are comprised of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.

Metabolism - Metabolism produces energy by converting nonliving material into cellular components (synthesis) and decomposing organic matter (catalysis). Living things require energy to maintain internal organization (homeostasis) and to produce the other phenomena associated with life.

Growth - Growth results from a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. A growing organism increases in size in all of its parts, rather than simply accumulating matter.

Adaptation - Adaptation is the accommodation of a living organism to its environment. It is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the individual's heredity.

Response to stimuli - A response can take many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. A response is often expressed by motion: the leaves of a plant turning toward the sun or an animal chasing its prey.

Reproduction - The division of one cell to form two new cells is reproduction. Usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life

Cars are cars. ARE THEY ORGANIC? No.

Well, if someone actually proves this theory, we've got a whole entire new Kingdom to organize: Automobilae.

My cars from the phylum Volkswagnia.

[smallpackage]

anybody know source to this article?

[jpjoe]

some define: matter=life

while others define: reproductive organic matter=life

it's just a matter of individual definition. plain and simple. yet ridiculous.

Human perception exists, right? Does it make "perception" living? No. The fact that everything the human mind perceives, exists -may it be in physical form or not, doesnt make it automatically a living thing. -Still, I stick to my first claim: individual definition.

[SkepticDood]

yup if it poops ( exhaust, leaks oil, etc) its a alive lol, it does breathe too as mentioned before and it consumes carbon based fuel ( gasoline is like a really really well aged steak lol, just millions of years worth of aging) A car can get sick to, I guess it is alive in a sence, kind of like a tree. a tree has no brain, yet its alive, it breaths, etc.. altho, if my truck ever laid an egg... id be suprized.... .... cuz I think its a guy not a gal. lol

[SAMURAI-X]

You guys arent thinking about this deep enough, perhaps arent capable. most of the responses ive heard are either reactions of anger or attempts to be funny. If anybody would like to take a serious look at this topic in debate please PM me.

Thats because it is silly to think that my car is alive or has a soul,like said before it does not grow it only evolves through us. OK you say oil is the blood, well i don't have to refill my blood ever three thousand miles, i understand where you guys are coming from it has alot of aspects of being alive but sorry it is not, IMO, when it starts doing things on its own i will say it is alive but until then

[jpjoe]

What he means is, that everything that exists is "alive" -that is his philsophical point of view. But in biological terms, only reproductive organic material can be considered as living.

So please stop combining the two. Have some limitations on your definitions, cause everything has.

[Solomonkey]

Cars do not respond to stimulae or reproduce, they are therefore not alive. Thats it there is no more too it!

Oh and Waspie I think that red blood cells are not actually alive they merely carry oxygen in them and work a bit like a carrier bag in a river!

Edited May 23, 2006 by Solomonkey

[Waspie_Dwarf]

The deeper question that this throws up is; can a machine ever be considered to be alive? This was a question beautifully addressed in a ST:NG episode (I believe it was called "The Measure of a Man"). Whilst I think most of us would not consider a car to be alive the speed at which mankind is progressing in technological developments this question may be a lot harder to answer very soon.

If we are able to develop intellegent robots at what point do they become a living thing? At what point do we stop making machines and start manufacturing slaves?

I suspect that the scientists that made the original statement did so to provoke just such a debate.

Edited May 23, 2006 by Waspie_Dwarf

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Oh and Waspie I think that red blood cells are not actually alive they merely carry oxygen in them and work a bit like a carrier bag in a river!

A red blood cell is as alive as any other cell in the body. It may not be a seperate living creature but then neither is a brain neuron.

[Carl Butters]

The deeper question that this throws up is; can a machine ever be considered to be alive? This was a question beautifully addressed in a ST:NG episode (I believe it was called "The Measure of a Man"). Whilst I think most of us would not consider a car to be alive the speed at which mankind is progressing in technological developments this question may be a lot harder to answer very soon.

If we are able to develop intellegent robots at what point do they become a living thing? At what point do we stop making machines and start manufacturing slaves?

I suspect that the scientists that made the original statement did so to provoke just such a debate.

i absolutely agree with this post.

[Carl Butters]

i absolutely agree with this post.

oh and are we intelligent enough ourselves to recognise a remedial form of intelligence that we may inadvertantly create?

[ROGER]

For this discussion the definition of Life is what we perceive on our World and our environment. But as we expand into the Solar System the environment changes and our definitions may have to expand as well.

Other wise the ROCK we kick on Titan may KICK BACK!