Life is a stage of cosmic evolution that arises from the organisation of matter. I believe - no, i am absolutely certain - that life is ubiquitious thoughout the universe, and arises wherever conditions will allow it. Life, having arisen, is tenacious and adaptable, and not only modifies itself to better suit its environment (evolution), but even modifies it's envoronment to better suit its own functioning (Gaia).

• sensitivity (response to stimulii, e.g. light heat touch etc)
• complexity (although non-living things can be complex, no living thing can be non-complex)
• celluar organisation (organised assemblages of molocules enclosed within membranes)
• growth and metabolism (all living things assimilate energy and use it to grow)
• homeostasis (maintaining constant physiological conditions and balances in the body)
• reproduction and heredity (passing on traits from one generation to the next by means of coded information, RNA, DNA, etc),

According to the Religious / Creationist Paradigm (based on the Dualistic assumption of an external supernatural deity) Life comes about through the supernatural agency of a God.  (Personally, I don't have much sympathy for supernaturalist theories).

according to the Scientistic Paradigm (based on the Materialistic assumption that all that exists is Physical Reality), Life comes about through the progressive self-organistaion of complex molocules under suitable environmental conditions.

according to the ET hypothesis life was seeded from earlier civilisations (which doesnt explain how those earlier civilisations came about!)  Again, like the religious position, this involves an arbitrary belief in a "higher power"

according to the Esoteric/Occult Paradigm (based on the Emanationist assumption of reality as an ontological spectrum from spirit to mattter) Life comes about through the manifestation of the vital principle (Ch'i, Prana, Orgone, Etheric) in physical matter.  The philosophical term for this is called Vitalism.

The exaplanation suggested here combines the Scientistic with the Esoteric.  Life is an emergent property that occurs when physical/material evolution reaches a grade of complexity (infomation richness) that allows bodily expression of Etheric phenomena in Physical Matter.
 

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