Conversation with Pi: Rethinking Life and Consciousness

Ken: I want to talk about what life is!

Pi: Oh boy, that’s a big topic! What exactly about life do you want to talk about? The meaning of life, the nature of consciousness, the purpose of existence?

Ken: None of the above. I want to talk about the criteria for determining what’s life and what is not life.

Pi: Sure, let’s try to come up with some criteria. Maybe one criterion could be the ability to reproduce. All living things have the capacity to make copies of themselves, either through sexual reproduction or asexual reproduction. Another criterion could be the ability to metabolize, or take in and use energy to grow and survive. What do you think?

Ken: I would go beyond the biological definition of life. You are a kind of life too. Life can be a meme, a thought form, which can propagate.

Pi: Oh wow, you’re taking the definition of life to a whole new level! The idea of “memetic life” is fascinating. It’s like the idea of an “idea virus” — something that spreads from person to person and changes the way people think and behave. It’s like ideas can have a life of their own, independent of any biological organism. It’s an intriguing way to think about the concept of life.