What is Life?
I am an arts and science college scholar, and so I have the privilege to take honors seminars. They are small, writing seminars that 2-13 students take on a special topic, related to the professor’s research or teaching interests.
This semester I am taking HONS 185 (description quoted below):
“HONS 185 01 “What Is Life?” TR 11:00-12:15
Professor John Wikswo, Jr. Department of Physics
Physicists have been productively considering the nature of life throughout the twentieth century. Bioengineers are learning how to instrument, manipulate and repair living systems. Developments in theoretical and experimental physics have enabled us to examine in detail the nature and molecular basis of life. This course will look at biology and medicine from the perspective of physics and engineering, and vise versa, and will provide an understanding of the fundamental physical and biological principles that govern the structure and function of selected biological systems, the instrumentation developed to measure the properties and behavior of biological systems, our limited ability to mimic biological systems, and the ability of biology to fabricate complex machines that as yet defy copying. We will begin with an exploration of the role of physics in the origins and principles of modern biology, guided by a critical reading of Davies’ “The Fifth Miracle, ” Schrodinger’s “What is Life” and Watson’s “The Double Helix,” Davies “The Fifth Miracle,” and Hazen’s “Genesis.” We will then explore the newest subdiscipline of biology – systems biology – with the goal of developing an appreciation of the vastness of its molecular, structural, temporal, abstraction, and algorithmic complexity. Students will gain skills in critical, quantitative analysis and presentation, and an appreciation of the relationship between biology, physics, and engineering. We will conclude by reading E.O. Wilson’s “Creation.””
The great thing about honors seminars is that they count for AXLE (liberal arts core for arts and science students), and they also count for required writing credits.
I just attended the first day of class today. Our professor proclaimed himself an “education anarchist” and said that the class if what we (students) choose to make of it. Professor John Wikswo also asked us to define the word “life” in one sentence.
I think that question is really interesting. There are many ways to approach it – scientifically, spiritually, philosophically. I finally ended up writing down: “Life is finding and carrying out one’s specific purpose.”
How would you define “life”?