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In reply to the discussion: We need a poll: is a virus alive? [View all]Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)34. Whenever I fail to be clear or make a mistake or put out bad intel,
I always want to respond to clarify or apologize - whatever is appropriate.
When I retired from the military, I went to work for the US Public Health Service (PHS) at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. That is what sparked my curiosity about viruses. AIDS/Ebola/Marburg, etc. I was fascinated by the science. That something like a virus (or a retro-virus) could wreck such havoc and catastrophe on the human body. And that we were so defenseless, that our immune systems could be so out-maneuvered and co-opted . . . I need to stop this thing or the post will end up being pages long.
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What I meant is that it's not alive and kicking in the normal sense
Haggis for Breakfast
Apr 2020
#23
I think we need a concrete definition of what life is in order to answer the question definitively
Celerity
Apr 2020
#30
Whenever I fail to be clear or make a mistake or put out bad intel,
Haggis for Breakfast
Apr 2020
#34
No, but for convenience we should discuss them as if they are and treat them as if they are...
RockRaven
Apr 2020
#6
I would say anything that can put the whole world on its timetable is very much alive -
milestogo
Apr 2020
#9
Well, the Evangelicals seem opposed to eradicating it, so it has the "pro-lifers" on its side
jberryhill
Apr 2020
#16
Are seeds alive? They have the potential for life, under the right conditions, but can die
Baclava
Apr 2020
#20
This isn't one of those things determined by polling of public opinion, is it? nt
greyl
Apr 2020
#21
Maybe the OP is asking if it's sentient... if it knows what it's doing... planning, scheming, etc.
NurseJackie
Apr 2020
#28