well, it's true you know. even though i posted the list of criteria 'that defines life', this is just ONE example why it cannot...........


having said that, the reasoning of the fire thing is just ridiculous....


.......a fundamental component of life is complexity and order, of which a fire has NONE....



i hope this post of mine doesn't cycle us again to square one, it's just that i wanted to make clear that FIRE cannot be considered a life form based on the four or five requirements described above......


.......the site i posted was using a grade school type example, that's all.....





......andyways, i'm out


EDIT: and i forgot to add, the link goes on to say why fire CANNOT be considered life


(and it's the same line of reasoning as above)

you didn't read the entire link..........lol



Some people have tried to refine the definition of life, to deal with the issue that fire meets most of the requirements for the standard definition of life. However, let's try to handle this a different way.


Let's assume that FIRE is in fact a form of life - the least complex form of life. Just as matter is made up of molecules, which are made of atoms, which in turn are made of subatomic particles -- let's take the range of life, and break it down into similar levels of complexity.


Organisms Organ Systems Organs Tissues Cells Subcellular: Organelles ?/TD>
Ex: Human being, Dog Ex: Digestive System, Respiratory System Ex: Intestines, Lungs, Heart Ex: Epithelial tissue in intestines Ex: Epithelial cells Ex: Mitochondria, Ribosomes ?/TD>


As we proceed from left to write in this table, we are proceeding into the things that make up the things to the left. Organisms are made of organ systems, organ systems are made of organs, and so on.


Now, let's ask whether we can extend this table a bit. Is there a lower form of life, below the subcellular, below the organelles like ribosomes that make up cells? Ribosomes are large molecules that make proteins. This is a chemical process...just as fire is a chemical process, oxidation. So, perhaps we can put chemical and physical processes, which are involved in the definition of metabolism, to the right of organelles:

Organisms Organ Systems Organs Tissues Cells Subcellular: Organelles Metabolism: Chemical and Physical Processes
Ex: Human being, Dog Ex: Digestive System, Respiratory System Ex: Intestines, Lungs, Heart Ex: Epithelial tissue in intestines Ex: Epithelial cells Ex: Mitochondria, Ribosomes Ex: Oxidation ( FIRE), manufacture of proteins, copying of DNA