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Hist Philos Life Sci. 2012;34(3):425-36; discussion 436-8.
The question "What is life?" is absent from the writings of present-day biologists and scientists. However, an answer to this question, even if only partial, is needed for successful completion of projects in astrobiology and synthetic biology. The reasons for this absence are metaphysical, epistemological, and historical. No one has a full answer to this question, but there are many good reasons to keep posing it. Answers are no longer sought in the existence of strengths or mechanisms specific to life. The secret of life has been unveiled and it is nothing other than physical chemistry. What remains to be understood is the way the characteristics of organisms have emerged and been combined within one unique "object." The answer to the question "What is life?" is now looked for in the scenario that generated life.
当今的生物学家和科学家的著作中都没有出现“生命是什么？”这个问题。然而，为了成功完成天体生物学和合成生物学方面的项目，这个问题甚至只需要部分答案也是必要的。造成这种缺失的原因是形而上学的、认识论的和历史的。没有人对这个问题有完整的答案，但有很多很好的理由继续提出这个问题。答案不再在生命特有的力量或机制的存在中寻找。生命的秘密已经被揭开，它只不过是物理化学。需要理解的是，生物体的特征是如何在一个独特的“物体”中出现并结合在一起的。“生命是什么？”这个问题的答案现在在产生生命的情景中寻找。
