Could Software be considered a part?

It's strange for them to say that Some 737 maxs have defective parts because what is actually defective is the software and how it interacts with parts which is like a person saying: "Oh. My brain is defective so I can no longer fly without crashing." or something like this. But, regarding software it would be more accurate to say, "My thoughts are defective so I can no longer fly without crashing" which is much more accurate to the situation. It's true the artificial intelligence running the software isn't programmed right which affects the way the autopilot interacts with the software which causes planes to crash (2 so far). But I still have a problem with saying "The parts are defective." I don't think the parts are actually defective, the software is.(which is more like thoughts than parts). But since the software is resident in a "Part" or parts then likely this is why it is useful to say this to people who have never written computer programs like I have.

For me, this brings up a whole new set of questions like: "Is Virtual Reality a part?"

In my life growing up something had to be actually physical and not just a thought to be considered a "part".