Setting aside for a moment the meaning of 'life' itself, the use of the word 'artificial' introduces its own quandary. Where does 'natural' end and 'artificial' begin? Thomas Browne, in Religio Medici (1642), said that “all things are artificial; for Nature is the Art of God”. This view might seem to exclude science. But by emphasizing the artistry of creation, Browne encouraged the study of “Nature, that universal and publick Manuscript, that lies expans'd unto the eyes of all”.

A radically different idea of artificial life appeared a few years later. In Leviathan (1651), Thomas Hobbes said that “Nature ... is by the Art of man ... imitated, that it can make an Artificial Animal”. Just what sort of artificial animal did Hobbes have in mind, that humans could have created 350 years ago? In his view, the political state is a kind of super-organism, “an Artificiall Man; though of greater stature and strength than the Naturall, for whose protection and defence it was intended”. To Hobbes, who sought to avoid anarchy, life in this artificial state is much better than the natural condition, in which life is “solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short”.

Enjoying our latest content?
Log in or create an account to continue

  • Access the most recent journalism from Nature's award-winning team
  • Explore the latest features & opinion covering groundbreaking research
Access through your institution

or

Sign in or create an account
Continue with Google
Continue with ORCiD