3 ms·

We don't have a clear defination of life, for example, James Lovelock's Gaia theory says the earth is alive. How can one discover something when that something

• mcphage 4y ago
  > We don't have a clear defination of life We don't even have a clear definition of tall—is a person 6' 4" tall? How about 6' 3"? Or 6' 2"? Or 6' 1"? And yet a building 6' 4" high would be tiny. What about a rock—is a rock high 6' 4" tall?
• nomel 4y ago
  It's incorrect to say it's "undefined" which means "without definition". The "problem" is that it has a "fuzzy definition", or you could rightly claim "multiple definitions", depending on the context. But, a good definition must come after understanding, not before. And, just because something doesn't have a precise definition or understanding doesn't mean that understanding can't be improved, or even branched, in the form of a discovery, to create some new label that better fits the concept. Until then, we have to live with something fuzzy, with the understanding that it is somewhat incorrect (which anyone familiar with biology will happily tell you). Lack of definition, which is lack of understanding, doesn't impede discovery. Lack of definition and understanding are necessary requirements for discovery.