The Constraints

Boundary

I’m only interested in living systems with a defined boundary: it created the first distinction, inside versus outside. Viruses and self-reproducing enzymes that predated early protocells are out of scope.

Sufficiency

Our environment has infinite ways to kill us. In a world full of threats and competition, a simple life didn’t stand a chance. Simplicity wasn’t getting a pass.

On the other hand, life always had finite means to persist. Every invention, every bit of structure, every pathway took a toll on finite energy, nutrients, and time. Complexity has an upper bound.

Life had to increase complexity only as much as required. Sufficiently so.

Correspondence

Just like if there’s an apple in your hand, there’s an apple in your mind. If there’s a physical distinction, then there’s a conceptual distinction. If the distinction counts, it is in the language. I’m using the physical structure as a map to find the conceptual structure and discover meaning. Our language is the evidence that the map is accurate.

Let’s see how these constraints were in play 4 billion years ago.