Information as a Building Block · information·6

Information and life

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Biology, origin of life, assembly theory: life resists entropy by feeding on negative entropy from the environment. Covers current attempts — assembly theory, the free energy principle, dissipative adaptation — to give life an information-theoretic foundation.

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Explain why life is thermodynamically interesting (decreasing local entropy by increasing environmental entropy).State one attempt (Friston's FEP, England's dissipative adaptation, or assembly theory) to make "what is life?" precise.Name what's not settled about each of these — the critics' strongest objections.Separate Levin's bioelectric work (serious, contested) from morphic-resonance-style claims (fringe).

resources

●The Demon in the Machine— Paul Daviesanchor · book
○What Is Life?— Erwin Schrödingercompanion · book
○Interviews and lectures on bioelectric information fields and morphogenesis— Michael Levincompanion · video series
○Assembly theory— Walker & Croninoptional · paper
○Entangled Life— Merlin Sheldrakeoptional · book

sessions

unlocks The biology half of the curriculum; also legitimate engagement with the origin-of-life literature without getting lost in speculation.

open in notion ↗