Chigozie's Virus Argumentation

Viruses: Living or Non-Living?

            Viruses should not be classified as living things simply because they do not have all properties of living things on their own. There are seven characteristics that living things must possess. Living things are composed of cells, have different levels of organization, use energy, respond to their environment, grow, reproduce, and adapt to their environment. Technically, if an organism does not have all of these properties, then it cannot be considered a living thing. Viruses exhibit some characteristics of living things only when attached to a host. Because of this, viruses cannot be considered living things.

            For example, Adenovirus cannot be considered a living thing. According to the chart, Adenovirus does not have all of the characteristics of living things. It does not use energy or carbon or respond to external stimuli (its environment). It also does not grow. It does, however, have biomolecules (nucleic acid, proteins, and lipids) and RNA present, giving it some type of organization. Adenovirus also reproduces, but reproduction requires a host. Although Adenovirus has two characteristics of living things, it still cannot be considered a living thing. Again, Adenovirus has to possess all of the characteristics of life in order to be classified as a living thing.

All in all, viruses should not be classified as living things. They lack many of the properties that are used to identify living organisms. The main characteristic that viruses lack is reproduction; they cannot reproduce without the assistance of a host. Because viruses do not have all seven characteristics of life, they are not to be considered living things.