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On the applicability of the principle of the quantity-to-quality transition to chemical evolution that led to life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2006

Vera M. Kolb
Vera M. Kolb
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI USA 53141-2000, USA e-mail: kolb@uwp.edu
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Abstract

We review and re-examine the arguments for the proposal that life emerged by a quantity-to-quality transition of abiotic matter. This idea was originally proposed by the dialectical materialists, who are the proponents of the materialistic approach to Hegel's laws of dialectics. We find that one of the universal features of the quantity-to-quality transitions is the change in the organization of the system, which brings about novelty. We suggest that the principle of the quantity-to-quality transition may be a part of the algorithm of life, which is not Earth-centric.

Keywords

algorithm for lifechemical evolutiondialectical materialism and scienceemergence of noveltyorigins of lifequantity-to-quality transition
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 4 , Issue 3-4 , October 2005 , pp. 227 - 232
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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