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  1. Explaining the Origin of Life is not Enough for a Definition of Life.Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis - 2011 - Foundations of Science 16 (4):327-329.
    The comments focus on a presumed circular reasoning in the operator hierarchy and the necessity of understanding life’s origin for defining life. Below it is shown that its layered structure prevents the operator hierarchy from circular definitions. It is argued that the origin of life is an insufficient basis for a definition of life that includes multicellular and neural network organisms.
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  • The operator hierarchy : a chain of closures linking matter, life and artificial intelligence.G. A. J. M. Jagers op Akkerhuis - unknown
    Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 06 september 2010.
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  • Towards a Hierarchical Definition of Life, the Organism, and Death.Gerard A. J. M. Jagers op Akkerhuis - 2010 - Foundations of Science 15 (3):245-262.
    Despite hundreds of definitions, no consensus exists on a definition of life or on the closely related and problematic definitions of the organism and death. These problems retard practical and theoretical development in, for example, exobiology, artificial life, biology and evolution. This paper suggests improving this situation by basing definitions on a theory of a generalized particle hierarchy. This theory uses the common denominator of the “operator” for a unified ranking of both particles and organisms, from elementary particles to animals (...)
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  • Does Species Evolution Follow Scale Laws? First Applications of the Scale Relativity Theory to Fossil and Living-beings.Jean Chaline - 2010 - Foundations of Science 15 (3):279-302.
    We have demonstrated, using the Cantor dust method, that the statistical distribution of appearance and disappearance of rodents species (Arvicolid rodent radiation in Europe) follows power laws strengthening the evidence for a fractal structure set. Self-similar laws have been used as model for the description of a huge number of biological systems. With Nottale we have shown that log-periodic behaviors of acceleration or deceleration can be applied to branching macroevolution, to the time sequences of major evolutionary leaps (global life tree, (...)
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  • Towards a hierarchical definition of life, the organism, and death.Gerard Ajm Jagers Op Akkerhuis - 2010 - Foundations of Science 15 (3):245-262.
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  • Two Purposes of Black Hole Production.Clément Vidal - 2012 - Foundations of Science 17 (1):13-15.
    Crane envisions the speculative conjecture that intelligent civilizations might want and be able to produce black holes in the very far future. He implicitly suggests two main purposes of this enterprise: (i) energy production and (ii) universe production. We discuss those two options. The commentary is obviously highly speculative and should be read accordingly.
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  • Definitions of Life are not Only Unnecessary, but they can do Harm to Understanding.Rob Hengeveld - 2011 - Foundations of Science 16 (4):323-325.
    In my response to the paper by Jagers op Akkerhuis, I object against giving definitions of life, since they bias anything that follows. As we don’t know how life originated, authors characterise life using criteria derived from present-day properties, thus emphasising widely different ones, which gives bias to their further analysis. This makes their results dependent on their initial suppositions, which introduces circularity in their reasoning.
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  • Editorial: A new turn in the study of the origin of life.Rob Hengeveld & Thomas A. C. Reydon - 2007 - Acta Biotheoretica 55 (2):95-96.
    This paper compares two approaches that attempt to explain the origin of life, or biogenesis. The more established approach is one based on chemical principles, whereas a new, yet not widely known approach begins from a physical perspective. According to the first approach, life would have begun with—often organic—compounds. After having developed to a certain level of complexity and mutual dependence within a non-compartmentalised organic soup, they would have assembled into a functioning cell. In contrast, the second, physical type of (...)
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  • Two approaches to the study of the origin of life.R. Hengeveld - 2007 - Acta Biotheoretica 55 (2):97-131.
    This paper compares two approaches that attempt to explain the origin of life, or biogenesis. The more established approach is one based on chemical principles, whereas a new, yet not widely known approach begins from a physical perspective. According to the first approach, life would have begun with—often organic—compounds. After having developed to a certain level of complexity and mutual dependence within a non-compartmentalised organic soup, they would have assembled into a functioning cell. In contrast, the second, physical type of (...)
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