Arguments Against Viruses Alive

Whether the virus is alive is a widely debated and extremely complex point that is hard to have a definite answer to, even today. The virus has evaded classification for years, baffling scientists and the common man. Though it was difficult to conclude, it can be said that viruses are in fact non living. This can be deduced due to the virus only adhering to some of the necessary characteristics that an organism needs to be considered alive.
First of all, viruses do not seem to be a cell or made up of cells, which is a very vital characteristic of life. They do contain DNA but do not contain a cytoplasm or organelles which are both typical of a cell. Due to this they should not be considered cells or alive until further proof can be revealed. …show more content…
Still, they do not have the ability to metabolize or cellularly respire which causes them to fail from achieving yet another quality of life.
Viruses cannot grow or develop. Because they are not made of cells and are thus not alive, they do not grow, they can only multiply. Moreover, they cannot even multiply on their own, they need a host cell to do anything.
Viruses are unable to produce on their own, which is one of the main arguments against their life. They must come in contact with a host in order to copy their DNA and produce more viruses. Because they cannot reproduce on their own, they cannot qualify as living.
One of the most definite answers can be found in the fact that viruses do evolve and do contain genetic material. They can have extremely high rates of production once in a host and this leads to genetic modification and adaptations which can be passed down to its ‘offspring’.
The case for viral life is a very weak one. By definition, a living organism must possess all of the characteristics of life in order to be considered alive. Viruses can only truly have some of them while in contact with a host and even less without one. It can be definitively stated that viruses are definitely not