Biological complexity: problem, define an individual (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, July 19, 2020, 13:18 (1588 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: “'Think about building a kind of microscope which would allow me to see information being propagated forward in time,” Krakauer said. They described a mathematical framework that breaks information flows down into parts and evaluates individuality based on how different combinations of environmental influences and internal dynamics can predict a system’s future states.

As if any mathematical framework can predict changing environmental influences! Even internal dynamics can be changed by those influences! And not even we as individuals can predict how our internal dynamics will function when faced with unknown environmental influences!

QUOTE: "Within this theory, individuals can be cells, tissues, organisms, colonies, companies, political institutions, online groups, artificial intelligence or cities — even ideas or theories, according to Krakauer. “What we’re trying to do is discover a whole zoo of life forms that extend far beyond what we have conventionally called living,” he said.

What they are trying to do is change the definition of “individual” and predict the unpredictable. Extending the “zoo of life forms” etc. means nothing more than the obvious fact that it is not just living organisms that evolve. I predict that many more such projects will be unveiled as professors urgently seek more funding.

DAVID: I view this as over-analysis. Biology does not lend itself to physics, but the information biology uses runs biology.

I would say individuality does not lend itself to mathematical formulas.