Life is the evolution of (increasingly) complex adaptive systems in non-equilibrium state, driven by external energy and enabling a new regime of faster entropy increase, thus faster descent towards the "heat death". This is contrary to the popular belief that life somehow goes against the 2nd law of thermodynamics. In fact, it is the 2nd law of thermodynamics, the universal drive towards higher-entropy states (we are essentially specs of dust in a slow-motion explosion, since the Big Bang), that enables life-like systems to evolve under the right conditions to accelerate the slide towards a higher-entropy state.
Specifically in case of carbon-based biological life, one succinct tongue-in-cheek way to put it is "life's purpose is to hydrogenate carbon dioxide". See the "Nick Lane" discussion thread from today: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32392937
Life is the evolution of (increasingly) complex adaptive systems in non-equilibrium state, driven by external energy and enabling a new regime of faster entropy increase, thus faster descent towards the "heat death". This is contrary to the popular belief that life somehow goes against the 2nd law of thermodynamics. In fact, it is the 2nd law of thermodynamics, the universal drive towards higher-entropy states (we are essentially specs of dust in a slow-motion explosion, since the Big Bang), that enables life-like systems to evolve under the right conditions to accelerate the slide towards a higher-entropy state.
Specifically in case of carbon-based biological life, one succinct tongue-in-cheek way to put it is "life's purpose is to hydrogenate carbon dioxide". See the "Nick Lane" discussion thread from today: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32392937