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Originally Posted by jewels
I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.
- Stephen Hawking
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He should stick to astrophysics, hes said a lot of silly things lately outside of it. (And from what gather a lot of astrophysicists think he says a lot of silly things inside it as well)
First a lot of self replicating programs have been created which are not destructive, but as such they do not cause issues, being they were never designed too.
Secondly viruses lack what you could consider to be the most important aspect of life, the ability to evolve. I'm sure some people are working on this aspect, but even if successful what you have created is a simulation of life much like a MMO can simulate a world.
Evolution of sorts has been achieved in game theory type experiments but really that is not life as they have only been able to evolve as they were designed to under the conditions set out by the program.
Really Hawking seems quite depressed lately, and I can't really blame him, but I don't think he contains any great wisdom.