I think you have to address the parent's argument that machines are not "alive", while biological organisms are. Of course, first we need to define "alive", an

I think you have to address the parent's argument that machines are not "alive", while biological organisms are. Of course, first we need to define "alive", and then we should ask: can we build something that will be "alive"? Do you consider the entities in Avida simulation to be alive? How about biological vs computer viruses? Is there a fundamental difference between them? If we simulate a biological organism on a atomic level, together with its immediate environment, so that it behaves exactly like its real-world counterpart would, do we call it "alive"?