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Is life a form of computation?

(thereader.mitpress.mit.edu)
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karmakurtisaani ◴[] No.45353075[source]
I don't see the point of asking this question. Like, sure, all physical systems follow certain rules, so any such process will develop in a way that it look like a computation of an algorithm. Also, evolution itself is constantly optimizing organisms to best adapt to their environment, just like a computation.

So asking if life is a computation seems mostly like a semantic musing. Define "life" and define "computation", then see if they're the same.

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measurablefunc ◴[] No.45353368[source]
Evolution is not optimizing anything. What's happening in the biosphere is a process of mutation & selection, it's not optimization towards any particular goal or objective. Furthermore & slightly more abstractly, b/c of conservation of mass & energy, what's actually happening is re-organization of existing biomass into different life forms enabled by solar radiation.
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47282847 ◴[] No.45353425[source]
Survival?
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1. ◴[] No.45353512[source]