Dead, Alive or Something Else? (The limitations of science)
by BBella 
, Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 22:16 (4454 days ago)
Does a thing have to be dead or alive? The question in the article below pertains to viruses, but it might also pertain to that which continues on after death. Scientist have yet to agree on whether a virus is dead or alive and while reading the article below, the first paragraph highlighted brought to mind the question of the afterlife. -Yes, the virus seems dormant (dead?) while waiting for a host, but it retains everything it needs to resume "life" when it finds a host. Maybe there's not that much space between a dormant virus and a dormant soul. Who really knows what goes on in the "mind" of the virus/soul while dormant/dead? Any thoughts?-http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/yellowstone/viruslive.html
Dead, Alive or Something Else?
by David Turell , Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 02:27 (4454 days ago) @ BBella
> Yes, the virus seems dormant (dead?) while waiting for a host, but it retains everything it needs to resume "life" when it finds a host. Maybe there's not that much space between a dormant virus and a dormant soul. Who really knows what goes on in the "mind" of the virus/soul while dormant/dead? Any thoughts? > > http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/yellowstone/viruslive.html-I think the best way to view viruses (Viri?)is that they are parasitic particles that sort of assume a life when they take over the DNA of a true living organism and having co-opted it, enjoy a form of reproduction. This is not true life, and in the quiescent state when not in a living organism, it retains its potential to be parasitic again. I don't think this applies to death as that occurs to us.