What is Life?

Question:: 
I have only been able to get the Christian answer for the question, what is life, and am curious as to what the Atheist answer is. I would assume that the answer is very clinical and scientific in nature, giving me a list of scientific properties, if that is all life is why should it be valued?
Atheist Answer: 

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Life's value

Skipping the scientific definition of "life", since you apparently are aware of what that is, I'll address the heart of your question: Why should life be valued?

A common Theistic view is that life only becomes valuable or meaningful if the presence of a deity, or the existence of an afterlife is acknowledged.

To me, this is counterintuitive, that is to say, if an everlasting life of paradise awaits in the hereafter, then of what consequence is earthly existence? Why would a Theist wish to persist in this world when a better one awaits?

The Atheist view actually makes life more valuable and important. I would like to make the most of the time I have, and live a life that has some impact - by (hopefully) leaving my corner of the world better off then when I got here. Simple as that.

-John

Sorry about the spelling

It depends on what kind of life you mean. If you are talking about the act of being alive then there are 4 ways to tell if something is alive. 1. the species has the ability to reproduce. 2. It obtains and uses energy 3. I grows, developes, and dies. 4. Responds to the enviroment.

I more personal deffinition of life is what ever you make it. My life in a nut shell is taking care of my dogs, keeping my house clean, and trying to make other peoples lives better while still keeping myself happy.

Or you could say that life is to reproduce and keep our species going.

What is Life?

I will for go the clinical and scientific explanation of life which you can get from many books and websites. Try wikipedia perhaps.

On to the second part of the question.

Human beings give value to things. Even if you think there is a god, which I disagree with, it is still you who is giving life any value that it has. I think it is dishonest to suggest that somehow theists value life more than atheists, after all they believe in an afterlife unlike atheists. Atheists think this is the only life they are ever going to have, so the case could be made we value it more. Speaking for myself I feel privileged to be alive at all. The fact that I am here is a huge improbability (explained by evolution), so I feel lucky to be alive. You give your own life value and meaning. As do I.

People who don't value life:

- Christians with guns who support the death penalty
(Thou shall not kill?)

- Terrorists with religious motivations.

- Administrations that go to war based on faith.

I love my family, enjoy life, enjoy learning, love science and discovery and find wonder and awe in the universe. I enjoy living and this is why my life has value to me. Therefore I assume other people enjoy living and because I don't think I am inherently better than them I think their lives have value also.

"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. "
- Carl Sagan

Tantum eruditi sunt liberi

response to " what is life"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUEyult4uo

-g0at

My dog thinks I am god, and I don't want them knowing better. The cats are unsure, but cats are cats...