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Work #744 · Late

What Is Life?

Erwin Schrödinger
1943 (lectures); 1944 (book) · English
Scientific lectures · Twentieth-century physics / philosophy of biology

Schrödinger's 1944 Dublin lectures founding the conceptual framework of molecular biology

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute What Is Life? (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

What Is Life?

The temporal stability of the aperiodic crystal.

Space

What Is Life?

The molecular space of life.

Matter

What Is Life?

The aperiodic crystal as gene-substance.

Observer

What Is Life?

The scientific physicist asking what life is.

Energy

What Is Life?

Negentropy as the basis of life.

Information

What Is Life?

The aperiodic crystal as information-bearing structure.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

What Is Life?

Schrödinger's What Is Life?: directly inspired Watson and Crick; foundational for molecular biology and the modern science of information in biology.