What is Life: Introduction

What is life?

The question seems so immense that for some it borders on the edge of the metaphysical. But how could life, a phenomenon that surrounds us so completely, be so out of reach?

We are so immersed with the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, too distracted with the here and now to ask ourselves;

What is Life?

For a few, the question is too important to ignore. How can we be complete without even attempting to ask questions about the essence of ourselves? How can we have the gift of awareness, yet not give some thought to the source of that gift and its underlying mechanics? How can we just... be?

Everyone has the feeling sometime in their lives. The questioning, nagging questions wrapped in unfamiliar emotions relating to the mystery of their being. Most people simply ignore it, but a few, confront the questions and the feeling with a desire to discover more about themselves and the surrounding environment that sustains them.

Religion, to a degree fills this vacuum that lingers within us during these episodes. But it only partially answers the questions. For many this is sufficient. But for a few, religion simply isn't enough. In his 1944 book aptly named ‘What Is Life?’ Erwin Schrödinger tackles the subject head on, openly discussing (in a manner rare for a scientist of his calibre) various aspects of life systems and his hopes of science solving this most personal and deepest of mysteries.

There are so many ways to tackle the subject, but one of the best or should I say intriguing ways is through the use of science. Science with its high principles and its strong adherence to reason is an incredibly alluring way to look at the question of, what is life. Sciences attempts to answer the question will very likely tell us more about the limitations of science than it would about the intracacies of life. However, science as the capacity to look deeper into the inner workings of life more than any other discipline yet practiced by Man. Hopefully, in time, it will reveal some of the secrets of life...