cancer requires that we discover the secret of life, because cancer is a form of life. It is life run amuck, but it is life. As difficult as it may be to unravel the secret of life, it may be equally difficult to define it. Concepts such as human, living, and person have been the subject of much discussion and analysis. Plato sought desperately for a description that would clearly distinguish humans from all other species of animals. He finally chose “featherless biped” as his working definition.