The Logic of Life.
In this paper we propose a logical connection between the physical and biological worlds, one resting on a broader understanding of the stability concept. We propose that stability manifests two facets - time and energy, and that stability's time facet, expressed as persistence, is more general than its energy facet. That insight leads to the logical formulation of the Persistence Principle, which describes the general direction of material change in the universe, and which can be stated most simply as: nature seeks persistent forms. Significantly, the principle is found to express itself in two mathematically distinct ways: in the replicative world through Malthusian exponential growth, and in the 'regular' physical/chemical world through Boltzmann's probabilistic considerations. By encompassing both 'regular' and replicative worlds, the principle appears to be able to help reconcile two of the major scientific theories of the 19th century - the Second Law of Thermodynamics and Darwin's theory of evolution - within a single conceptual framework.
Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR5247 CNRS-University of Montpellier-ENSCM, CC17006, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095, Montpellier, France. robert.pascal@umontpellier.fr.
Robert
R
Pascal
Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Be'er Sheva, Israel. pross@bgu.ac.il.|NYU Shanghai, 1555 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 200122, China. pross@bgu.ac.il.
Addy
A
Pross
D005075:Biological Evolution; D019369:Life; D008128:Logic; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D000069497:Origin of Life; D013816:Thermodynamics
Darwinian evolution; Dynamic Kinetic stability; Natural selection; Persistence principle; Second law of thermodynamics; Thermodynamic stability