Isselfawarenessthermodynamicallyfavorable?

BionHoward4.23.15
VarietyisthespiceofLife.WilliamCowper

WhatifLifeismysterioussimplybecausemysteryitselfisthedrivingforce?If
astrobiologistsintendtomaketheclaimthatLifeisanaturalphenomenonwhichcouldevolve
allovertheUniverse,theymustprovethatthereactionswhichcreatelifeformsare
thermodynamicallyspontaneous.Luckilyforus,biologyisclearlyaninformationprocess,
meaningthatlivingthingspredictthefuture.DNAitselfisremarkablysimilartoturingsinitial
descriptionofthecomputerasatapewith0sand1s.Thisinformationtheoryofmolecular
biologyshouldprovideusameanstounderstandthespontaneityofabiogenesis,because
informationandthermodynamicsareintimatelyrelated.Inbasichighschoolchemistry,weare
taughtthatspontaneousprocessesexhibitareleaseoffreeenergycorrespondingtoasystem
settlingintoamorestablelowenergystate.

Thisfreeenergyreleasecantaketheformofheattransfertotheoutsideworld,but
canalsotaketheformofanincreaseinentropy,orthenumberofpossiblestatesofthe
system.Often,processesleadtoachangeinthenumberofwaysinwhichthesystemcanbe
arranged(theentropy,orthewidthoftheprobabilitydistribution),andprocessesleadingto
anincreaseinthisvarietycreateaprobabilisticdrivetowardincreasedoptionality.
Disorderedstatesaremoreprobablewhenoneaccountsforthefactthattherearemany
morewaysofarrangingthem.Moresimplyput,entropytendstoincreasebecausethereare
morewaystoexistwithmanyarrangementsthanwithfewarrangements,andthe
arrangementwiththemostentropyisthe
option
totakeeitheroftwodifferentarrangements.
Livingthingshaveatendencytostayaliveandcopythemselves(orelsetheydisappear),so
wecouldsaythatlifeformsgaininsizeorsimplyincreasethenumberofatomsundertheir
controlovertime...abehaviorremarkablysimilartothesecondlaw.Thisimpliesarelationship
betweenthestabilityandgrowthtendenciesofbiologicalsystemsandthesecondlawof
thermodynamics.Byestablishingandexploringsuchrelationships,wecanlendsupporttothe
universalityofLifeandgainadeeperunderstandingofbiology.

Considerthelogisticfunction:

F (x) = 1+e1 x
Whengraphed,itappearslikeso:

Notethatthisgraphcouldbedividedintothreebehavioraldomains:

Nowconsideraphysicalsystemthathastheabilitytofunctionineachofthese
domains.Whattypeofbehaviorismostthermodynamicallyfavored?Asystemexistingin
domainsAandCwillonlyexhibitthebehaviorofthosedomains,whereasdomainBprovides
ahigherdynamicrangeofbehaviorsandthereforearelativelyhigherdegreeofbehavioral
entropy.Thisincreased
optionality
atthecriticalpointbetweentwobehavioralregimes
providesaninherentphysicaladvantagetosuchsystems.Balancewillbenecessaryifthe
systemistoremainwithinsuchacriticalregimeforasignificanttimescale,andweknowfrom
basicbiologythatbalanceisacomplicatedanddifficulttask.Manybodilysystemsexist
specificallyforthepurposeofmaintaininghomeostasisinonevariableoranother,andthese
systemstypicallyprovidetheireffectsviatheuseoffeedbackloops,inwhichstateinformation
influencestheevolutionofbehavior.

Interestingly,ithasbeenshownpreviouslythatneuralnetworkstendtooperateina
criticalregime.Herewefindourselvesataninterestingcognitiveintersection:ifthetendency
towardentropyisfundamentallyfavoredbyphysicallaw,andtherightwayforasystemto
maximizeitsentropyistobalanceatcriticalpointsbetweendifferentpossiblebehaviors,and
therightwaytobalanceatacriticalpointrequiresstateinformationaboutthesystemitself,
then
selfawarenessisthermodynamicallyfavorable
becauseselfstateinformationisa
necessaryingredientforthefeedbackcontrolsystemswhichsustaincriticalityandthus
maximizeoptionalityandentropy.Sowecanmakeasubjectiveassertionthattheprobabilistic
natureofrealityiswhatdrivesLifeand
forces
theevolutionofselfawareconsciousness,
becauseprobabilitydrivesentropicforces,anditwouldseemimpossibleforanunconscious
systemtomaintainmaximaloptionality,asitwouldbeunabletousefeedbackcontrolto
balanceuponitsbestperch:theknifesedgebetweendifferentbehaviors.