<p>This paper re-examines the definition of life, critiquing and building upon Plante’s recently proposed symbiotic, holistic, and gradualist framework. Plante’s model integrates symbiosis across biological scales, holism to unify hierarchical complexity, and gradualism to address the continuum between non-living and living entities. While innovative, the model omits two critical factors underpinning life: information and water. These elements form the foundation for a novel approach based on informational dissipative dynamics and Prigogine-like structures. Water is posited as a dynamic, topological medium capable of encoding and transferring information via transient hydrogen-bond networks. This phenomenon creates “informational topologies” that guide the organization of molecules, bridging the gap between physical randomness and biological order. The proposed framework explores how water properties drive the emergence of autopoietic systems through the interplay of thermodynamic, informational, and quantum dynamics. The model introduces the concept of informational entropy gradients within water–molecule interactions, facilitating the iterative development of structured, dissipative systems. These gradients sustain the system far from equilibrium, enabling life complexity and persistence. As these systems evolve, the interplay of entropic gradients, dissipative energy, and information processing leads to increased order, self-replication, and, ultimately, the emergence of life. By re-framing life as an informational dissipative process, the paper bridges gaps in Plante’s approach and proposes a broader, foundational understanding of biological systems. This perspective offers a unifying framework for exploring life origins, evolution, and complexity while highlighting water’s indispensable role in shaping living systems.</p>