Argumentative Essay: Are Viruses Alive?

To answer the question, “Are viruses alive?”, I had to embark on a mentally exhausting quest, pondering the very reason for human existence and life itself, while holding back tears because the vastness of universe is a little too scary.

With probably one, maybe two, biology classes, or a quick Google search, a person can easily find out viruses are not classified as living creatures, for they do not replicate the way “normal” living things do and their requirement of a host cell. So humans, quick to judge, classify these creatures as not living, just because viruses cannot replicate without using a host cell to implement their DNA in a new body. However, the way I see it, this idea is smart and innovative, and I have to give kudos to the average virus because

They have goals, dreams and aspirations (mainly it’s just focused on surviving and passing on their genetics, but dreams nonetheless). I, as a regular human being, can relate with these viruses. On the surface level, I also would like to survive. When I do not eat, my stomach starts to feel hunger pangs, Washburn backs me up on this, and my id principal takes over. Obviously viruses do not have an id, ego, and superego, yet the id is the closest things that connect us to viruses. We, as humans, want to survive and viruses do too. However, if you look into viruses deeply, they do have goals. Personally, taking off my science hat and putting on my feelings hat, having goals is the basis of life for me. For forever, I have always had goals and they define the moments of my life. I have always wanted to be happy, to gain an education, to maintain relationships with my family and friends, and honestly to become the president (but I traded that dream for science, which is like the Louisiana Purchase of deals) and these dreams and goals define me, my life, and my being. Viruses have dreams too, which could, just maybe, classify them as living