• Question from:boagie

I think of most everything as a conditions, my question is then, at what point does a condition become an  object and/or an organism. Through the idea of systems, a system being a condition how does a condition become a thing, is it when it acquires the ability to maintain itself, and or to recreate itself, as with self-organization. This is by the way, is a serious question. Is there an identifiable aspect/characteristic which constitutes a condition being considered a something/object/organism?

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  • University of Glasgow and British Geological Survey, Edinburgh
  • Posts: 239

I presume that you mean a logical condition, as used in computing. I think John Holland's definitions relating to the conditions for complex adaptive systems are really useful. His book 'Hidden Order' looks at complex systems in general and I think is a more helpful place to start than trying to define 'life' or 'organism' as there can be rather slippery categories.

Holland's idea is that there are seven key elements a system needs to meet the sort of conditions you are interested in, split into four properties and three processes. I can't find my copy of the book right now, but the diagram on this wikipedia page will give you some flavour

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system

If you want to know more, please post again and I pick the brains of my office mate, who does a lot more work on theoretical biology.

"Hope is a duty from which palaeontologists are exempt."
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