Premium
Gödelian structures and self‐organization in biological systems
Author(s) -
Brändas Erkki J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of quantum chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.484
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-461X
pISSN - 0020-7608
DOI - 10.1002/qua.22616
Subject(s) - analogy , dissipative system , formalism (music) , property (philosophy) , computer science , quantum , argument (complex analysis) , epistemology , mathematics , theoretical physics , physics , philosophy , quantum mechanics , chemistry , art , musical , biochemistry , visual arts
In 1986, Seel and Ladik asked, which role Gödel's incompleteness theorem should have in a basic theory of biology. Recently, the author has tried to collect the conditions, which such a meta‐theory must fulfill. A further argument concerned the deeper connection between classical canonical forms of so‐called (triangular) Jordan blocks in the description of open quantal systems far from equilibrium and those of self‐referential contradictions and paradoxes in philosophy and mathematical logic. Related examples were quoted from the emergence of self‐organization in so‐called dissipative structures with applications to both fundamental‐ and of higher order levels of organization. To bring this analogy closer together, we have developed a quantum logical formalism, describing such a Gödelian situation, via the characterization of a well‐defined “truth matrix.” In this setting, the modus operandi of exploiting self‐referential traits and paradoxical inconsistencies emphasize the possibility of a meta‐code in complicated enough (biological) systems. In conclusion, we will revisit situations were the aforementioned self‐referential property, together with the laws of physics and chemistry will guide our understanding of biology. We will finally consider subsequent implications on the various positions on artificial intelligence. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010