[Paper Review] The differences between natural and artificial life. Towards a definition of life

Andrzej Gecow|arXiv (Cornell University)|Dec 13, 2010

Origins and Evolution of Life33 references4 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a formal definition of 'purposeful information'—a core concept for distinguishing natural from artificial life—using generalized notions of information and encoding. It derives the fundamental properties of natural life, including self-preservation, reproduction, and Darwinian evolution, from the spontaneous accumulation of purposeful information, while showing artificial life emerges from external design rather than intrinsic processes.

ABSTRACT

It is high time to openly and without finalism define the dangerous but needed term 'purposeful information', whose quantity is an Eigen information value. Using the term 'biological information' in its stead forces one into an uncomfortable detour. I propose such a definition based on the generalized notions of 'information' and 'encoding'. Next, the properties of the spontaneous process of collecting purposeful information are investigated. In effect, the properties of this process: the goal 'continuation of existence', reproduction and Darwinian mechanism are derived which suggest, that it is the natural life process. A 'natural identity criterion' appears in this process for an evolving object, that is connected to a 'small change tendency'. Likewise, 'hereditary information' is defined. Artificial life is constructed by living objects, is a part of natural life process and its properties are not an effect of its internal restrictions but of external assumptions.

Motivation & Objective

• To resolve ambiguity in the term 'biological information' by introducing 'purposeful information' as a foundational concept.
• To establish a formal, non-finalistic definition of purposeful information based on generalized information and encoding theory.
• To derive the core properties of natural life—self-preservation, reproduction, and Darwinian evolution—from the spontaneous process of accumulating purposeful information.
• To clarify the distinction between natural life (spontaneously arising) and artificial life (designed externally), using intrinsic vs. extrinsic constraints.

Proposed method

• Introduces 'purposeful information' as a generalized form of information with functional relevance to survival and continuation of existence.
• Applies information-theoretic principles to model how purposeful information accumulates spontaneously in self-organizing systems.
• Derives the 'goal' of continuation of existence as an emergent property of systems collecting purposeful information.
• Defines 'natural identity criterion' based on small change tendency, linking it to evolutionary stability.
• Introduces 'hereditary information' as a stable, replicable form of purposeful information.
• Contrasts artificial life as externally constrained systems built by living entities, not emerging from internal dynamics.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What distinguishes purposeful information from mere data or random information in living systems?
• RQ2 How does the spontaneous accumulation of purposeful information lead to the emergence of life-like properties such as self-preservation and reproduction?
• RQ3 What is the role of the 'small change tendency' in defining a natural identity criterion for evolving systems?
• RQ4 Why does artificial life not exhibit the same intrinsic evolutionary dynamics as natural life?
• RQ5 How can 'hereditary information' be formally defined within a generalized information framework?

Key findings

• The spontaneous accumulation of purposeful information inherently leads to the goal of 'continuation of existence' as a fundamental property of natural life.
• Reproduction and Darwinian evolution emerge as necessary consequences of the process of purposeful information collection.
• A 'natural identity criterion' arises from the system's tendency toward small, incremental changes, indicating evolutionary stability.
• Hereditary information is defined as a stable, replicable form of purposeful information that persists across generations.
• Artificial life is not defined by internal constraints but by external design, distinguishing it fundamentally from natural life processes.
• The term 'biological information' is shown to be inadequate and misleading when used without clarifying the concept of purposeful information.