Essay Abstract

The rising complexity of our terrestrial surrounding is an empirical fact. Details of this process evaded description in terms of physics for long time attracting attention and creating myriad of ideas including non-scientific ones. In this essay we explain the phenomenon of the growth of complexity by combining our up to date understanding of cosmology, non-equilibrium physics and thermodynamics. We argue that the observed increase of complexity is causal in nature, stands in agreement with the second law of thermodynamics and has it's origin in the cosmological expansion. Moreover, we highlight the connection between the leader of complexity growth in localized areas of space with free energy rate density, starting from the largest scales towards the smaller ones. Finally, in the light of recent advances in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, our belief in the causal structure of modern scientific theories is transferred to biological systems. On relevant scales, adaptation and complexity growth follows a similar pattern, in which free energy rate density is provided by an external electromagnetic radiation. The presented, holistic approach, arms us with predicting power about variety of attributes of complex systems and leads to a chain of successful explanations on all scales of the Universe.

Author Bio

Michal Mandrysz is a fifth year student of theoretical physics and he is currently preparing his master thesis under the supervision of Jakub Mielczarek, who is an Assistant Professor in theoretical physicist working mainly on cosmology and quantum gravity. Both are members of the Theory of Complex Systems Department at the Institute of Physics of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.

Download Essay PDF File

Dear Michal and Jakub,

Re "...If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal." -- Carl Sagan:

Sorry, but noble, worthy purposes and ideals are irrelevant: why don't you address ordinary goals e.g. the goal of buying a kilo of apples from the shop; or the goal of finding and catching some prey for dinner?

Re "...it is likely that the next step, with the help of information theory, will unravel the emergence of agency", "...information processing capabilities (agency)":

What exactly do you mean by "information processing capabilities" and in what sense do you claim that information processing capabilities are the same as agency?

Dear Lorraine,

First of all, thank you for your feedback!

> Sorry, but noble, worthy purposes and ideals are irrelevant: why don't you address ordinary goals e.g. the goal of buying a kilo of apples from the shop; or the goal of finding and catching some prey for dinner?

Our main purpose was to highlight the fact, that goal seeking is an emergent phenomena, which will be ultimately described by physics, therefore the relation between causality and teleology is simple - the latter is dependent on the former.

In our article we described examples of successful explanations of almost biological process, e.g. mechanism of the adaptation process or the reproduction process on microscopic scale.

There surely are some unknown physical mechanisms from which goal seeking would "stand out" in a more obvious way, but those are not known yet.

We have shown however, that through external driving forces one can reach a steady non-equilibrium state in which entropy lowers, leaving enough "freedom" for complex behaviour to emerge. This process, driven by cosmic expansion, took place number of times. First in formation of solar system, then in formation of atmospheres and finally in formation of life.

> What exactly do you mean by "information processing capabilities" and in what sense do you claim that information processing capabilities are the same as agency?

Those characteristics are surely necessary for agency and one cannot have those without inflow of energy and outflow of entropy.

Of course one intuitively feels the difference between agency and a computer-like behaviour, it's an interesting topic on it's own.

One can underline 2 main reasons for the apparent discrepancy:

1. computers are man designed for logical operations

2. computers are built from a small subset of matter (silicon, copper)

The first point is crucial - the design implies purpose (not the other way around). Organic matter, according to our current knowledge, assembled itself under the influence of the environment. The details of this process are slowly being uncovered by physics.

Secondly, being built from selected simple constituents, a small subset of matter, leads to restricted behaviour.

Obviously, it's easier to build and control this kind of matter obtaining the sought after behaviour.

On the other hand, there's no a priori reason to assume that we'll never learn the details of the emergent phenomena that lead to the formation of life on our planet.

Dear Jakub Mielczarek

I invite you and every physicist to read my work "TIME ORIGIN,DEFINITION AND EMPIRICAL MEANING FOR PHYSICISTS, Héctor Daniel Gianni ,I'm not a physicist.

How people interested in "Time" could feel about related things to the subject.

1) Intellectuals interested in Time issues usually have a nice and creative wander for the unknown.

2) They usually enjoy this wander of their searches around it.

3) For millenniums this wander has been shared by a lot of creative people around the world.

4) What if suddenly, something considered quasi impossible to be found or discovered such as "Time" definition and experimental meaning confronts them?

5) Their reaction would be like, something unbelievable,... a kind of disappointment, probably interpreted as a loss of wander.....

6) ....worst than that, if we say that what was found or discovered wasn't a viable theory, but a proved fact.

7) Then it would become offensive to be part of the millenary problem solution, instead of being a reason for happiness and satisfaction.

8) The reader approach to the news would be paradoxically adverse.

9) Instead, I think it should be a nice welcome to discovery, to be received with opened arms and considered to be read with full attention.

11)Time "existence" is exclusive as a "measuring system", its physical existence can't be proved by science, as the "time system" is. Experimentally "time" is "movement", we can prove that, showing that with clocks we measure "constant and uniform" movement and not "the so called Time".

12)The original "time manuscript" has 23 pages, my manuscript in this contest has only 9 pages.

I share this brief with people interested in "time" and with physicists who have been in sore need of this issue for the last 50 or 60 years.

Héctor

Dear Jakub Mielczarek

I invite you and every physicist to read my work "TIME ORIGIN,DEFINITION AND EMPIRICAL MEANING FOR PHYSICISTS, Héctor Daniel Gianni ,I'm not a physicist.

How people interested in "Time" could feel about related things to the subject.

1) Intellectuals interested in Time issues usually have a nice and creative wander for the unknown.

2) They usually enjoy this wander of their searches around it.

3) For millenniums this wander has been shared by a lot of creative people around the world.

4) What if suddenly, something considered quasi impossible to be found or discovered such as "Time" definition and experimental meaning confronts them?

5) Their reaction would be like, something unbelievable,... a kind of disappointment, probably interpreted as a loss of wander.....

6) ....worst than that, if we say that what was found or discovered wasn't a viable theory, but a proved fact.

7) Then it would become offensive to be part of the millenary problem solution, instead of being a reason for happiness and satisfaction.

8) The reader approach to the news would be paradoxically adverse.

9) Instead, I think it should be a nice welcome to discovery, to be received with opened arms and considered to be read with full attention.

11)Time "existence" is exclusive as a "measuring system", its physical existence can't be proved by science, as the "time system" is. Experimentally "time" is "movement", we can prove that, showing that with clocks we measure "constant and uniform" movement and not "the so called Time".

12)The original "time manuscript" has 23 pages, my manuscript in this contest has only 9 pages.

I share this brief with people interested in "time" and with physicists who have been in sore need of this issue for the last 50 or 60 years.

Héctor

Dear Michał Mandrysz and ProfessorJakub Mielczarek,

Please excuse me for I have no intention of disparaging in any way any part of your essay.

I merely wish to point out that "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) Physicist & Nobel Laureate.

Only nature could produce a reality so simple, a single cell amoeba could deal with it.

The real Universe must consist only of one unified visible infinite physical surface occurring in one infinite dimension, that am always illuminated by infinite non-surface light.

A more detailed explanation of natural reality can be found in my essay, SCORE ONE FOR SIMPLICITY. I do hope that you will read my essay and perhaps comment on its merit.

Joe Fisher, Realist

Nice essay Mielczarek,

Your ideas and thinking are excellent, but some points I want to discuss like,

1. We argue that the observed increase of complexity is causal in nature, stands in agreement with the second law of thermodynamics and has it's origin in the cosmological expansion

2. The cosmic expansion enhanced inhomogeneities of the matter density, which ultimately became unstable initiating the process of gravitational collapse. This process lead to formation of dense inhomogeneous structures (stars) in which gravitational potential energy was transformed into the kinetic energy,

You are considering expanding Universe , that means 40 % of Galaxies in the Universe which are red shifted, Why don't you consider remaining 60 % which are blue shifted and quasars ? ..................... At this point I want you to ask you to please have a look at my essay, where ...............reproduction of Galaxies in the Universe is described. Dynamic Universe Model is another mathematical model for Universe. Its mathematics show that the movement of masses will be having a purpose or goal, Different Galaxies will be born and die (quench) etc...just have a look at my essay... "Distances, Locations, Ages and Reproduction of Galaxies in our Dynamic Universe" where UGF (Universal Gravitational force) acting on each and every mass, will create a direction and purpose of movement.....

I think intension is inherited from Universe itself to all Biological systems

For your information Dynamic Universe model is totally based on experimental results. Here in Dynamic Universe Model Space is Space and time is time in cosmology level or in any level. In the classical general relativity, space and time are convertible in to each other.

Many papers and books on Dynamic Universe Model were published by the author on unsolved problems of present day Physics, for example 'Absolute Rest frame of reference is not necessary' (1994) , 'Multiple bending of light ray can create many images for one Galaxy: in our dynamic universe', About "SITA" simulations, 'Missing mass in Galaxy is NOT required', "New mathematics tensors without Differential and Integral equations", "Information, Reality and Relics of Cosmic Microwave Background", "Dynamic Universe Model explains the Discrepancies of Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry Observations.", in 2015 'Explaining Formation of Astronomical Jets Using Dynamic Universe Model, 'Explaining Pioneer anomaly', 'Explaining Near luminal velocities in Astronomical jets', 'Observation of super luminal neutrinos', 'Process of quenching in Galaxies due to formation of hole at the center of Galaxy, as its central densemass dries up', "Dynamic Universe Model Predicts the Trajectory of New Horizons Satellite Going to Pluto" etc., are some more papers from the Dynamic Universe model. Four Books also were published. Book1 shows Dynamic Universe Model is singularity free and body to collision free, Book 2, and Book 3 are explanation of equations of Dynamic Universe model. Book 4 deals about prediction and finding of Blue shifted Galaxies in the universe.

With axioms like... No Isotropy; No Homogeneity; No Space-time continuum; Non-uniform density of matter(Universe is lumpy); No singularities; No collisions between bodies; No Blackholes; No warm holes; No Bigbang; No repulsion between distant Galaxies; Non-empty Universe; No imaginary or negative time axis; No imaginary X, Y, Z axes; No differential and Integral Equations mathematically; No General Relativity and Model does not reduce to General Relativity on any condition; No Creation of matter like Bigbang or steady-state models; No many mini Bigbangs; No Missing Mass; No Dark matter; No Dark energy; No Bigbang generated CMB detected; No Multi-verses etc.

Many predictions of Dynamic Universe Model came true, like Blue shifted Galaxies and no dark matter. Dynamic Universe Model gave many results otherwise difficult to explain

Have a look at my essay on Dynamic Universe Model and its blog also where all my books and papers are available for free downloading...

http://vaksdynamicuniversemodel.blogspot.in/

Best wishes to your essay.

For your blessings please................

=snp. gupta

21 days later

Michal,

Very nice essay, particularly as still a student. Well written and set out and I agree your fundamental premise of 'aims' as emergent. I show in my essay a mechanism allowing its development and also, along with England a (classical & quantum) mechanism for 'mutation' and so evolution, with Darwin emergent. I think you'll like and appreciate it.

I also particularly liked your identification and phrasiology that; "Non-equilibrium conditions indeed let us escape the tyranny of the entropy."

Well done. A boost your rather low score going on now.

Best wishes

Peter

    Dear Sirs!

    Physics of Descartes, which existed prior to the physics of Newton returned as the New Cartesian Physic and promises to be a theory of everything. To tell you this good news I use «spam».

    New Cartesian Physic based on the identity of space and matter. It showed that the formula of mass-energy equivalence comes from the pressure of the Universe, the flow of force which on the corpuscle is equal to the product of Planck's constant to the speed of light.

    New Cartesian Physic has great potential for understanding the world. To show it, I ventured to give "materialistic explanations of the paranormal and supernatural" is the title of my essay.

    Visit my essay, you will find there the New Cartesian Physic and make a short entry: "I believe that space is a matter" I will answer you in return. Can put me 1.

    Sincerely,

    Dizhechko Boris

    Thank you for your kind review! I hope to read and vote on yours before the voting closes.

    Dear MichaЕ‚ Mandrysz and Jakub Mielczarek,

    I have read your essay. And it seems that your essay expresses an idea interesting.

    And also the diagram "Top-Down trend of the complexity growth and these phrases are intriguing

    "When we turn on the driving force (here temperature difference) the entropy smoothly lowers to minimum entropy Smin. Moreover, this model does not store energy, hence internal energy stays constant, which means that the free energy, defined by F = U в€' T S gets maximized. Free energy allows us to perform work which can be realized in different ways depending on the nature of the system. It can mean the formation of stars, emergence of complex behaviour in the atmosphere or circular convective motion in the Benard cell.

    The free energy rate density is indeed smaller for stars than it is for planetary atmospheres, and it is smaller for planetary atmospheres than it is for animals..."

    And also I agree with that

    "The upcoming years will certainly bring us closer towards understanding the emergence of life.."

    With Best Regards,

    Ch.Bayasaikhan

    Write a Reply...