A Roadmap for a Computational Theory of the Value of Information in Origin of Life Questions: General Summary
Keyword(s):
We propose a computational theory of life. We hypothesize that carbon-based life forms are only one among a continuum of life-like systems in the universe. Investigations into the role of computational substrates that allow information processing is important and could yield insights into: a) novel non-carbon based computational substrates that may have "life-like" properties, and b) how life may have actually originated from non-life on Earth. Life may exist as a continuum between non-life and life and we may have to revise our notion of life and how common it is in the universe. Looking at life or life-like phenomenon through the lens of information theory may yield a broader view of life.