We value life -especially that of humans-
above all things. However, we don’t even
hesitate before taking the life of other
beings, while in other cases we behave as if
things were imbued with life even though
they are inanimate. So what exactly is life?
How can life be defined? There is still not
a general consensus in the scientific or
philosophical
community
regarding
a
definition of life and every day we discover
new entities on our planet that could be
considered alive. On the most fundamental
level, all matter that exists is an arrangement
of atoms and their constituent particles. These
arrangements fall onto an immense spectrum
of complexity, from a single hydrogen atom
to something as intricate as a brain. In the
end, life is just a concept invented by humans.
As it happens in the world we perceive, the
environmental conditions are responsible
for the life forms that evolve and inhabit a
given environment. Everything that exists
within such a given system inadvertently
forms the ecosystem itself and its agents
define life within it. Such is the case in the
JCP Universe where the artifacts become life
forms of a system that creates relationships
between its artificers, users and the
environment itself. The act of living becomes
thus a conscious act between space and the
agents that inhabit it. Life is much more than
what we take for granted but can instead
become what we make of it.
