A wave breaking on the shore has some degree of life, not merely because of organisms within it, but the wave itself as a mechanical system has life.

Entities in the same semantic neighborhood but without a typed relation to this one — candidates for new edges or unrecognized duplicates.

• The wave itself — the system which in present-day science we have considered as a purely mechanical hydrodynamical system of moving water — has some degree of life.concept0.857
  Alexander's definition of 'life' in broad sense, exemplifying how non-biological systems possess vitality.
• "What I mean is that the wave itself — the system which in present-day science we have considered as a purely mechanical hydrodynamical system of moving water — has some degree of life"quote0.857
  Verbatim quote from Alexander (2002, p.31) showing his expansive concept of life beyond biology.
• We feel degrees of life in different organisms, even though technically they all have equal biological life.claim0.790
  Summarizes the observation of graded life within the category of living things.
• The degree of life is not merely a distinction between beautiful and ugly things but is detectable in every corner of the world.claim0.783
  Broadens the scope of life from aesthetics to a fundamental property.
• What we call 'life' is a general condition which exists, to some degree or other, in every part of space... every connected region of space... has some degree of life, and that this degree of life is well defined, objectively existing, and measurable.hypothesis0.780
  The central predictive/causal hypothesis of the book, to be tested in later chapters.
• The living organism seems to be a macroscopic system which in part of its behaviour approaches that purely mechanical (as contrasted with thermodynamical) conduct to which all systems tend as the temperature approaches absolute zero.claim0.778
  Schrödinger's analogy highlighting that life maintains order akin to a system at very low temperature.
• A physical environment with living structure nourishes freedom of the spirit; lacking it, freedom can be destroyed or weakened.claim0.774
  Key claim linking living structure to inner freedom.
• Natural phenomena such as wild waves and migrating geese are personal in the same sense as living buildings — they are deeply whole, deeply alive, and therefore deeply personalclaim0.772
  Extends the personal quality beyond artifacts to untouched nature