> "any self-sustaining system that reduces internal entropy."
Planet Earth would/should definitely count as alive, especially if it "reproduces" via us terraforming other planets to become like Earth.
Planet Earth would/should definitely count as alive, especially if it "reproduces" via us terraforming other planets to become like Earth.
(When you feel compelled to “air quote” a key term in your argument, that’s a clue you probably don’t have a good argument.)
Earth+Life is a different entity than Earth on its own, or any other planet.
Earth allows and protects life, and life in turn influences Earth. That kind of symbiosis on such a scale is in a class of its own, with no other equivalent or analogy that we know of. It deserves a special classification.
Life permeates deep into Earth and even influences its geology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole#Resear...
Parts of yogurt are alive. Yogurt is not alive. I have no problem with this.