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Code biology and the problem of emergence.

Arran Gare1

  • 1Department of Philosophy and Cultural Inquiry, Swinburne University of Technology, 400B Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.

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|July 17, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Codes are fundamental to life and culture. Understanding their origin requires more than existing theories, necessitating concepts like enabling constraints and transduction for a complete picture of emergence.

Keywords:
Anticipatory systemsCode biologyDissipative structuresDownward causationEmergenceFinal causesGilbert SimondonHierarchy theoryIndividuationInfodynamicsMarcello barbieriRobert RosenStanley N. SaltheTeleologyTransduction

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Area of Science:

  • Complexity Science
  • Origin of Life Studies
  • Philosophy of Science

Background:

  • Codes are central to understanding life and culture, challenging purely biochemical explanations.
  • Existing theories on the origin of complex codes, like Eigen's paradox and Barbieri's work on ribosomes, lack a complete account of emergence.
  • Current scientific assumptions, dating back to Newton, may need reevaluation to accommodate radical novelty in nature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the adequacy of current theories in explaining the origin and emergence of complex codes.
  • To integrate concepts of enabling constraints and transduction into a more comprehensive model of ontogenesis and individuation.
  • To challenge reductionist views by emphasizing the role of semantics and emergence in life.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of existing theories on code origins and emergence (Eigen, Barbieri).
  • Examination of Stanley Salthe's concept of emergence through enabling constraints.
  • Application of Gilbert Simondon's concepts of transduction and individuation to the problem of emergence.
  • Discussion of Stuart Kauffman's ideas on adjacent possibles and potentialities.

Main Results:

  • Current accounts of code origins and emergence are insufficient, particularly regarding the mechanism of 'how' emergence occurs.
  • Stanley Salthe's concept of enabling constraints offers partial clarification but requires further development.
  • Gilbert Simondon's theory of transduction provides a crucial missing element for understanding individuation and the emergence of individuals from preindividual states.
  • A synthesis of these concepts is proposed as a more robust framework for understanding the emergence of complex codes and life itself.

Conclusions:

  • Explaining the origin of complex codes and life requires moving beyond current biochemical and even some complexity-based models.
  • The concept of transduction, as part of ontogenesis and individuation, is essential for a complete account of emergence.
  • A more holistic approach, integrating semantics, enabling constraints, and transduction, is necessary to fully grasp the nature of life and its complex forms.