One of the most charming pieces of Russian children's literature is a story called "It is alive, and shining" by Victor Dragunskii. The main character is a boy who exchanges his birthday present, an expensive toy truck, for a tiny box with a glow-worm inside. "The bug is kicking...and beaming," the boy explains to his mother. Like the child, we are all aware of the difference between animate and
... [Show full abstract] inanimate matter, but the challenge of actually understanding what it means for something to be alive has puzzled the best minds for centuries.