Life is a delicate, interconnected process, not a single entity.
Tamil philosophy contrasts ‘Uruvam’ (உருவம் - form, sensory) and ‘Aruvam’ (அருவம் - formlessness, abstract).
Form :
- Physical objects (chair, body)
- Measurable things (temperature, weight)
- Concrete actions (walking, eating)
Formlessness :
- Abstract ideas (love, time, gravity)
- Emotions (happiness, fear)
- Thoughts, consciousness
Life manifests as form, yet its essence is elusive, suggesting formlessness. How do you personally see life?
Is it primarily form, a sensory-perceivable process defined by biological functions? Or is it more akin to formlessness, an abstract concept, a set of principles beyond physical form?
Is life, in your understanding, simultaneously ‘form and formlessness’?
The classic debate of materialist vs the metaphysicalist. I would argue that any sufficiently complex system exhibits the properties of the formless as u have defined. By that logic one could argue that any Turing complete mechanism is life which is a whole new can of worms.