Gilt die Gleichung: Leben = Physik + Chemie?

Abstract

The question is raised whether the behaviour of a living organism can be reduced to the laws of physics and chemistry. The following features of these sciences are important for the problem: The laws are differential and do not act over a distance neither in space nor in time. The concept of shape is foreign to them and the behaviour of non-living matter is aimless. The initial and external conditions (which together with the law of physics determine the behaviour) are accidental in nature. A system with many degrees of freedom tends towards disorder (except at low temperatures). There is no coordination of processes taking place in separate locations.
Consider the growth of an organism. For the molecular processes in the cell during division, although usually described in terms of physics and chemistry, it cannot be proved or disproved that they follow from atomic physics. Assuming nevertheless that cell division is a process resulting from physics, repeated cell division could only give rise to an undifferentiated lump of cells and not to an organism consisting of various organs (leaves, roots, stem etc., see Fig. 1). There could be not coordination in the functions of these.
If life is to be reduced to physics this must also hold good for evolution. The question hinges on the probability of favourable macromutations, which lead to a higher developed organism. (Unfavourable mutations are eliminated by selection.) The example of the brain of a higher animal is considered and an upper limit is estimated for the probability of its development. It is essential here not to use any arguments already implying something like a “building plan” (which is foreign to physics and chemistry). The probability turns out to be so small that it can be stated that the mutations in question cannot be due to chance (in the sense of physics).
The behaviour of an organism in many respects is just the opposite of that of dead matter: it forms shapes, it shows directiveness and coordination of functions.
The problem of the coexistence of physical and biological (non-physical) laws is discussed. It is suggested that a generalization of the concept of uncertainty (occurring in quantum mechanics) may lead to an understanding of such a coexistence.