It is true that in the history of human thinking the most fruitful developments take place at those points where two different lines of thought meet. These lines may have their roots in different human cultures, different times, different cultural environments, or different religious traditions.

If they meet; if they are at least so much related to each other that a real interaction can take place, then one may hope that new and interesting developments may follow.

Werner Heisenberg

8.18.2011

LIFE IS . . . 1) An Emergent Property


Life is an emergent property of autopoietic, dissipative systems.

Emergent property:  Imagine an automobile engine, completely dissembled on the shop floor.  You look at each piece, each wire, each connector.  It makes no sense and you can't imagine the purpose of the assembled unit.

Sir Isaac Newton imagined the Universe and life as a giant mechanical system that could be understood if completely dissembled and examined.  He was wrong.

Life self organizes with increasing complexity for only one purpose- obeying the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

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