why aren’t viruses “alive”?

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m not very knowledgeable about science, so I’m struggling to understand the notion that viruses aren’t “alive”, and the robot analogies people use. I understand that they don’t have some of the characteristics (cells, ability to reproduce), but my mind can’t wrap itself around the notion that they’re like objects. Can you please give some examples that could explain this in a way that is accessible to someone who isn’t very advanced in the subject?

Thanks

EDIT: wow thanks so much guys for so many amazing replies!!!

In: 29

Answer 1

It depends on your définition of alive.

Viruses are as much alive as any piece of DNA that reproduces like genes for example. Even if they are RNA viruses, their RNA is reproducing and evolving, so it’s alive in the same sense.

However, you can define alive do that only cells are alive. Then viruses aren’t alive.