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  4. Physical Universality, State-Dependent Dynamical Laws and Open-Ended Novelty
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Physical Universality, State-Dependent Dynamical Laws and Open-Ended Novelty

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Title
Physical Universality, State-Dependent Dynamical Laws and Open-Ended Novelty
Description
A major conceptual step forward in understanding the logical architecture of living systems was advanced by von Neumann with his universal constructor, a physical device capable of self-reproduction. A necessary condition for a universal constructor to exist is that the laws of physics permit physical universality, such that any transformation (consistent with the laws of physics and availability of resources) can be caused to occur. While physical universality has been demonstrated in simple cellular automata models, so far these have not displayed a requisite feature of life—namely open-ended evolution—the explanation of which was also a prime motivator in von Neumann’s formulation of a universal constructor. Current examples of physical universality rely on reversible dynamical laws, whereas it is well-known that living processes are dissipative. Here we show that physical universality and open-ended dynamics should both be possible in irreversible dynamical systems if one entertains the possibility of state-dependent laws. We demonstrate with simple toy models how the accessibility of state space can yield open-ended trajectories, defined as trajectories that do not repeat within the expected Poincaré recurrence time and are not reproducible by an isolated system. We discuss implications for physical universality, or an approximation to it, as a foundational framework for developing a physics for life.
Date Created
2017-09-01
Contributors
  • Adams, Alyssa (Author)
  • Berner, Angelica (Author)
  • Davies, Paul (Author)
  • Walker, Sara (Author)
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
  • BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science (Contributor)
  • Department of Physics (Contributor)
  • School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor)
  • ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex Systems (Contributor)
Resource Type
Text
Extent
20 pages
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Reuse Permissions
Attribution
Primary Member of
ASU Regents' Professors Open Access Works
Identifier
Digital object identifier: 10.3390/e19090461
Identifier Type
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)
Identifier Value
1099-4300
Series
ENTROPY
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.46603
Preferred Citation

Adams, A., Berner, A., Davies, P., & Walker, S. (2017). Physical Universality, State-Dependent Dynamical Laws and Open-Ended Novelty. Entropy, 19(12), 461. doi:10.3390/e19090461

Level of coding
minimal
Cataloging Standards
asu1
System Created
  • 2018-03-07 01:26:47
System Modified
  • 2021-08-16 02:23:30
  •     
  • 4 years 9 months ago
Additional Formats
  • OAI Dublin Core
  • MODS XML

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