There has been an interesting convergence of science and philosophy this week in NASA's discoveries about the Saturnian moon Enceladus. They hypothesize that the existence of H2 (molecular hydrogen) in the icy plumes that are emitted from fissures in the moon's surface create conditions that are critical to fueling life. So the question arises - how do you define life? I've researched numerous NASA and other scientific publications about this question and find that even these eminent scientists do not have a single agreed-upon definition. I find this interesting because in their examination of the 'What is life" question, their ability to restrict it to a checklist of characteristics eliminates creatures and species that are clearly alive and promotes processes (like computer viruses) to a proto-living status.
So this leaves me with a couple of questions: How will they be able to identify extraterrestrial life if they cannot clearly define it? What implications does this absence of clarity have on the definition of human life on Earth?
(Originally Posted April 14th, 2017)
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