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Biological evolution as defense of 'self'
William B Miller1, John S Torday2, František Baluška3
1Paradise Valley, AZ, United States.
Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology
|October 19, 2018
Summary
Life originates from self-referential cognition, the continuous defense of cellular homeostasis. This fundamental cellular self-reference drives all biological and evolutionary development, including consciousness and intelligence.
Area of Science:
- * Origin of consciousness and life sciences
- * Evolutionary biology and cellular biology
Background:
- * The origin of self-referential consciousness remains unknown.
- * Self-referential cognition is a characteristic of all living organisms.
- * Life is fundamentally linked to maintaining cellular homeostasis and defending 'self'.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To propose that the fundamental cellular form is the epicenter of 'self'.
- * To introduce Cognition-Based Evolution as a framework for understanding biological development.
- * To equate biological and evolutionary development with the autopoietic defense of cellular states.
Main Methods:
- * Conceptual framework integrating cellular biology, evolution, and consciousness.
- * Analysis of self-referential information measurement and communication in cellular systems.
- * Examination of multicellular structures (biofilms, holobionts) as collective cellular strategies.
Main Results:
- * Self-reference is proposed as the commencement of phenomenal experientiality in living organisms.
- * Biological evolution is framed as the defense of self-referential basal cellular states.
- * Multicellularity aims to maximize informational distinction and energy efficiency.
Conclusions:
- * Consciousness, self-consciousness, and intelligence are collective cellular phenotypes.
- * These phenotypes are directed towards defending fundamental cellular self-reference.
- * The study provides a novel perspective on the evolution of life and cognition.