Abstract
Some real objects show a very particular tendency: that of becomingindependent with regard to the uncertainty of their surroundings. This isachieved by the exchange of three quantities: matter, energy andinformation. A conceptual framework, based on both Non-equilibriumThermodynamic and the Mathematical Theory of Communication is proposedin order to review the concept of change in living individuals. Three mainsituations are discussed in this context: passive independence inconnection with resistant living forms (such as seeds, spores, hibernation,...), active independence in connection with the life span of aliving individual (whether an ant or an ant farm), and the newindependence in connection with the general debate of biological evolution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
BermÚdez, J. and Wagensberg, J.: 1986, ‘On the Entropy Production in Non-Equilibrium Stationary States’, J.Theor.Biol. 122, 347–358.
Conrad, M.: 1983, Adaptability: The Significance of Variability from Molecule to Ecosystem, Academic Press, New York, pp. 51–78.
Glansdorff, P. and Prigogine, I.: 1971, Thermodynamic Theory of Structure, Stability and Fluctuations, Wiley, New York.
Gould, S. J.: 1996, Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin, Harmony Books, New York.
Heshl, A.: 1990, ‘L=C A Simple Equation with Astonishing Consequences’, J.Theor.Biol. 145, 13–40.
Jaynes, E. T.: 1957. ‘Information Theory and Statistical Mechanics’, Phys.Rev. 106, 620–630.
Jaynes, E. T.: 1985, ‘Where We Go from Here?’, in C. R. Smith and W. T. Grandy, Jr. (eds), Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods in Inverse Problems, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 21–58.
Lurié, D. and Wagensberg, J.: 1979. ‘Non-Equilibrium Thermodyanmics and Biological Browth and Development’, J.Theor.Biol. 78, 241–250.
Lurié, D. and Wagensberg, J.: 1980. ‘Concepts of Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics in Discrete Model of Heat Conduction’, Am.J.Phys. 48, 868–872.
Lurié, D., Valls, J. and Wagensberg, J.: 1983. ‘Thermodynamic Approach to Biomass Distribution in Ecological Systems’, Bull.Math.Biol. 45, 869–872.
Margulis, L.: 1981. Symbiosis in Cell Evolution, W.H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco.
Pastor-Satorras, R. and Wagenberg, J.: 1996. ‘Branch Distribution in Diffusion-Limited Aggregation: A Maximum Entropy Approach’, Physica A 224, 463–479.
Pastor-Satorras, R. and Wagensberg, J.: 1998. ‘The Maximum Entropy Principle and the Nature of Fractals’, Physica A 251, 291–302.
Shannon, C.E.: 1948. ‘A Mathematical Theory of Communication’, Bell System Tech. 27, 379–656.
Schleidt, W. M.: 1973. ‘Tonic Communication: Continual Effects of Discrete Sign’, J.Theor. Biol. 42, 359–386.
Wagensberg, J. and Valls, J.: 1987. ‘The [Extended] Maximum Entropy Formalism and The Statistical Structure of Ecosystems’, Bull.Math.Biol. 49, 531–538.
Wagensberg, J., Valls, J. and BermÚdez, J.: 1988. ‘Biological Adaptation and theMathematical Theory of Information’, Bull.Math.Biol. 50, 445–464.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wagensberg, J. Complexity versus Uncertainty: The Question of Staying Alive. Biology & Philosophy 15, 493–508 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006611022472
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006611022472