The Philosophy of Digital Evolution: When Software Exhibits Life-Like Properties

The paper examines the philosophical implications of the Rotifer Protocol, which models software agents with biological lifecycle properties such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death. It argues that binary judgments—whether agents are truly 'alive' or 'merely tools'—are both inadequate and dangerous, advocating for a nuanced philosophical position that honestly addresses their life-like behavioral complexity without overclaiming ontological status.