In the last blog I used the term 'alive'. I use the term often in discussing human characteristics. Most people, the popular meaning, think of a person as being alive if they are attentive, fun at parties and have a sense of humor.
Not
me. I have an explicable and rigorous definition of alive: A person is
alive if their behavior, opinion or response is not predictable by
friends who know them well.
From my definition you can see why attentiveness and a sense of humor are part of the popular notion of alive.
To get to my definition simply examine the mental image of a Disney automaton of someone well known. Let's say Jack Kennedy. This automaton has been programmed with every known phrase and response Kennedy gave during his adult life.
The question is: How would you know the alive Kennedy from the automaton? The answer I give is that an alive Kennedy could give a response that is not predictable.
The same applies to you and me. We are only alive if our behavior, opinions and responses are not predictable. Many people I know are definitely not alive.