Theoretical origin of life; requires intellect (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, December 04, 2016, 12:32 (2911 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: "So, non-living matter is missing the important ingredient that is key for the organization of life: it is absolutely void of any information translation. That must be the emphasis in our discussions with naturalists. Unfortunately, from the point of view of mere thermodynamics, life is indistinguishable from non-life: in both there are physical interactions of particles; in both non-living and living systems energy is spent and entropy tends to maximum. After all, both life and non-life use the same chemical elements from the same periodical system."

David’s comment: This is his conclusion after a long article discussing entropy and how life answers that process. [...]

Phew! Thank you for editing this. There has to be a distinction between living matter and non-living matter, but it is difficult to pinpoint. I’d say replication with differences is one factor. I would presume sentience is another. Some of us would say the ability to process information and regulate behaviour accordingly is another (perhaps that’s what he means by “information translation”). As evidence for God’s existence, I must say I much prefer your complexity approach to the convoluted one you have summarized.