[evo.theory] This week: CAUSATION AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

[Brett Calcott]

Hi all,

This week we are meeting at BOZO (building 116), in the Meeting Room (room  
246) on Friday 27th at 1pm.

You can get the reading from here:

http://philrsss.anu.edu.au/~brett/evo.theory/causation-origin.pdf



CAUSATION AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE. METABOLISM OR REPLICATION FIRST?

ADDY PROSS

Abstract. The conceptual gulf that separates the ‘metabolism first’ and
‘replication first’ mechanisms for the emergence of life continues to
cloud the origin of life debate. In the present paper we analyze this
aspect of the origin of life problem and offer arguments in favor of the
‘replication first’ school. UtilizingWicken’s two-tier approach to
causation we argue that a causal connection between replication and
metabolism can only be demonstrated if replication would have preceded
metabolism.  In conjunction with existing empirical evidence and
theoretical reasoning, our analysis concludes that there is no
substantive evidence for a ‘metabolism first’ mechanism for life’s
emergence, while a coherent case can be made for the ‘replication first’
group of mechanisms. The analysis reaffirms our conviction that life is
an extreme expression of kinetic control, and that the emergence of
metabolic pathways can be understood by considering life as a
manifestation of ‘replicative chemistry’.


-- 
Brett Calcott
Philosophy Program, RSSS, ANU
Canberra, ACT 0200, AUSTRALIA