miércoles, 30 de noviembre de 2011

What is life?


In every culture of the world, the people ask and want to answer the question about what is life. We found a big variety of answers! Platon, Decard or Scheller founds one duality between soul and body. The different religions of the planet take an answer to this question. To Christians, the soul survives a long time after the death, and, the life is the life of soul. The Buddhists believe which the life is each one states of reincarnation of living. In the China of age Chang, “the belief which of the souls survive are illustrated with tools and food deposited in the graves. The kids were buried around the houses, in large urns provided with an opening at the top, to allow the exit of soul and its return.” [1] For me exists one vision of life differently than others, better than others, the idea consider the bios as a phenomena of physis.

"Undoubtedly, we are part of nature, which has produced our desires, our hopes and fears, in accordance with the laws which of physics are beginning to discover. In this sense, we are part of nature, are the result of natural laws and their victims in the long run." [2]

Erwin Schrödinger, one of the most eminent physics of XX century, shows at world in their famous “What is life?” the best definition of life. Schrödinger wants to describe the life as a phenomenon of physics. Following their interpretation, the living creatures are dissipative structures, that is, thermodynamic system which consume order and generates entropy. The living creatures are matter that’s not in thermal equilibrium, ordered matter. When we contrast the complexity of any living creature with a rock, a machine or something inanimate, we see that every living creature has more complexity than some not living creature. Living bodies are thermodynamic systems that are not in equilibrium, but are ordered matter, that is, they are bodies that are very far of maximum entropy state.

“A difference the Watt’s vapor machine, for example, the body concentrate order. Constantly repairs themselves. The intestinal epithelium is renewed every five days. The liver every two months. The skin every six weeks. Each year, replaces 98% of the atoms of our body. This incessant chemical replacement, metabolism, is a sure sign of life. This <<machine>> requires a continuous input of energy and chemicals (food).” [3]



[1]Mircea Eliade, “Historia de las creencias y de las ideas religiosas II”, Ediciones Cristiandad, S.L., Madrid, 1979, Trad. J. Valiente Malla, pág. 20
[2] Bertrand Russell, “Por qué no soy cristiano”, Diario público, 2010, trad. Josefina Martínez Alinani, pág. 76
[3] L. Margulis y D. Sagan, “¿Qué es la vida?”,  

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