Summary

The article argues that molecules, like oxygen, should be considered organisms based on the principles of Organismal Selection, which defines an organism as an existent physical entity with a tendency to avoid annihilation.

Abstract

The article, part of "the organism series," builds upon the concept that atoms are organisms by extending this idea to molecules. It uses oxygen as a case study, asserting that molecules meet the criteria for organism status by physically existing and demonstrating a tendency to resist annihilation, akin to more complex life forms. The author employs the calculus of probability and the second law of thermodynamics to support the claim that systems, including molecules, inherently progress towards a state of disorder or death. The concept of Organismal Selection posits that entities that exist physically and strive to avoid destruction are organisms. The article also discusses the idea of mergers, suggesting that when two atoms form a molecule, their combined probability of survival increases, leading to the emergence of new organisms with different properties and a lower probability of annihilation.

Opinions

The author believes in a bold redefinition of what constitutes an organism, extending the definition beyond traditional biological entities to include atoms and molecules.
There is a clear rejection of the conventional view of oxygen as merely an active part of air, instead emphasizing its existence and behavior as an organism.
The article posits that the tendency to avoid annihilation is a fundamental characteristic of organisms, including simple particulate ones like molecules.
The author introduces the concept of Organismal Selection, which is a framework for understanding how entities can be classified as organisms based on their physical existence and resistance to annihilation.
The idea of mergers is presented as a strategy for organisms to prolong their existence by reducing their probability of annihilation, which is a novel perspective in the context of biological organization.
The author acknowledges the assumptions made in the article, such as the illustrative use of probability to describe the likelihood of an organism's annihilation, and the dynamic nature of these probabilities.
The article suggests that evolution through mergers can lead to non-linear patterns, challenging traditional views on evolutionary processes.
The author hints at further unconventional theories to come, indicating that the theory of Organismal Selection is just the beginning of a broader discussion on the nature of organisms.

A Molecule Is An Organism

Here, take my hand, and let me show you

This is the second bold article of the organism series.

The first one discussed the atom and the bold claim about its features. Atoms are organisms, just like you and me. But you need a different lens to appreciate it.

In the same spirit, a molecule is an organism.

No, I am not peddling conspiracies. I argue from a basis of fact. Mathematical and physical fact.

From mathematics, I use the calculus of probability. In simple terms, I use the probability we were all taught from high school.

From physics, I use the power of the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that entropy tends to increase over time.

In common parlance, entropy is disorder. Over time it increases to the point of complete disorder. The other name for complete disorder is death.

So systems progress toward their death.

For this article, we’ll consider the molecule, and see how it relates to other organisms. Since the molecule is made up of particles with few emergent traits, we’ll call the molecule a particulate organism.

Let’s consider oxygen

Oxygen, we are incorrectly taught, is the active part of air.

But all particles are active. They actively move.

Oxygen only happens to support combustion. Other compounds are also combustible.

I use oxygen because everybody, at least those who can read and have been in a science class, knows about it. We breathe in roughly 20% and exhale around 16%.

Enough of all that. Onto serious matters.

Oxygen has features like any organism. The first is existence.

Existence

Oxygen exists.

Not in the abstract sense. I talk about physical existence. It is made up of two oxygen atoms, merged through a molecular bond, to form the oxygen molecule. O2, in short.

According to the theory of Organismal Selection, physical existence is necessary before we begin to talk about organisms.

Oxygen physically exists.

That was easy.

Now, the not-so-easy but not-too-difficult bit — the tendency to avoid annihilation.

Tendency to avoid annihilation

As long as you have a physical form of existence, you will tend to avoid annihilation. Annihilation for the particulate organisms is complete cessation of existence.

If a molecule is split by breaking the bond which holds it intact, it ceases to exit. They are either ions or atoms.

But before they are split, they resist the splitting. You have to mount a good amount of energy before the successful breakage of a molecular bond.

This is how particulate organisms avoid annihilation.

When they do it often, it becomes a tendency. Organisms tend to avoid annihilation.

Thus, the litmus test of identifying organisms is subjecting the entity to an imminent form of a credible threat. For the oxygen molecule, it is threatening the molecular bond.

If one fails to meet the threshold, the oxygen molecule will remain intact.

Organismal Selection asserts that these are the two criteria an entity needs to meet for it to be considered an organism.

It defines an organism as:

An existent physical entity with a tendency to avoid annihilation.

There’s something extra I would wish to talk about it. It has to do with mergers.

Two oxygen atoms make a molecule — that is a merger

I have mentioned how probability can be used to describe organisms. A more comprehensive intro to this can be found in this article.

If an organism has a probability of dying of ¼ and it mergers with another with ¼, then the emergent probability of dying is ¼ and ¼ which makes it 1/16. In probability, the word ‘and’ implies multiplication.

If we assume that each oxygen atom has a probability of dying of ¼, then after the merger, through the covalent bond, it becomes harder to destroy the molecule. Its new probability of dying is now 1/16 after the merger.

Thus, through mergers, organisms prolong their existence.

The oxygen molecule is one of the examples I use, but it can be used to refer to any other known — or unknown — molecule.

Set of assumptions

If you’re a keen reader or scholar, you will notice some assumptions which I make from the example I have given.

The first is we assume we know the probability of dying.

We do not.

It is simply an illustration. The truth we can never know the probability of annihilation. For clarity, the probability of annihilation is similar to the probability of death.

For organisms of higher complexity, such as you and me, we consider death to be annihilation. For simpler organisms such as the atom and oxygen molecule, annihilation is the cessation of existence.

Whether of high or low complexity, we can never know the probability of existence. The reason for this is the probability is ever-shifting. It can never be static. It is always dynamic.

However, for us to understand how it works, we have to slow down and imagine they are static. Once we get the idea behind how probabilities can identify organisms, we can predict and see how they behave.

Organismal Selection predicts the need for mergers, which we see even at the particulate level.

The other assumption deals with the emergence of new organisms after a merger. The oxygen molecule emerges from the merger of two oxygen atoms.

Annihilation then refers to the complete annihilation of the oxygen molecule. This includes the atoms and the bonds holding them together. Remember, the atoms are also organisms. However, when they merge, they result in an emergent organism, the oxygen molecule.

Key features absent in the atomic organism but present in the molecular organism is the covalent bond holding the two atoms together.

Thus, the probability of annihilation then becomes an emergent probability. It means that the chances of annihilating the molecule and its constituents increase in line with the rules of probability.

Mergers, then, result in non-linear outcomes.

The product of two probabilities is non-linear. Thus, the theory of Organismal Selection predicts the need for mergers among organisms.

It also asserts that evolution, through mergers, results in non-linear patterns. It is evident even among these particles which the same theory considers to be organisms.

Final thought

Molecules are organisms.

They satisfy the criteria for organisms as far as Organismal Selection goes.

If you think this theory can never get weirder, you are in for a rough ride.

I am only getting started.

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