Life’s Chain of Causation

Entropy → fear → need → action (i.e., negentropy) → life meaning → “happiness”
(Note: → = gives rise to, begets, causes,)

This bottom-up chain-of-causation applies to all living things. Undoubtedly, this chain is easily misunderstood because of the imprecise ways words are interpreted. The synonym-like parallel meanings below help improve understanding.

Entropy ≈ equilibrium, dead, stable, orderless, information maximally uncertain (knowledge is minimal because all accessible microstates are equally probable). Entropy is the potential for information, while information is the reduction of that entropy when an event like life occurs ⁽¹⁾.

Fear ≈ this is “systemic instability” at the molecular level and “fear” at the conscious level, which manifests itself as insecurity, anxiety, worry, concern, unease,

Need ≈ desire, want, wish, expectation, crave, lust,

Action (negentropy) ≈ movement, hunt & gather, plan, pursue, practice, play, progress, walk & run, think & talk. Such negentropy (or negative entropy) is a localized process that creates or maintains order, organization, and structure. It is a measure of the amount of information or free energy that lessens uncertainty and creates complexity. Note: Darwinian evolution through natural selection ⁽²⁾ kicks in here through DNA mutations and the subsequent actions taken by individuals that affect survival.

Life meaning ≈ significance, importance, purpose, raison d’être,

Happiness ≈ contentment, success, accomplishment, purposefully utilizing information to resist entropy. In other words, life uses information (like DNA, cellular signals, and repair systems) to create and maintain local order by consuming energy and exporting waste.

Here is an AI condensed version of this chain:

The Origin of Life

Whether or not this chain-of-causation theory feels plausible, the deeper question remains: Why on earth did certain molecules ( proto-RNAs) create local pockets of temporary order, drawing in energy from their surroundings, and thus temporarily “surviving” entropy? In my admittedly naïve view, I see maintaining dynamic balance is an inherent characteristic of nature. Life is the Yang to entropy’s Yin; life is the other side of entropy’s coin. In other words, Yin’s “perfect” balance requires Yang’s imbalance to keep reality rolling along— Yang counterbalances Yin; imbalance counterbalances balance; imperfection counterbalances perfection: life counterbalances entropy; diversity counterbalances homogeneity; complexity counterbalances simplicity, and so on.

A tangential, albeit scientific, theory has been put forward by Jeremy England (see below) suggesting that life itself is an emergent properties of matter driven by the universal tendency of energy to disperse more efficiently over time, and certainly, efficiency is a core characteristic of nature. Whether life is simply the Yang to entropy’s Yin, or an inevitable emergent property of matter to efficiently disperse energy more efficiently doesn’t really matter. Either way, life appears inevitable when conditions are favorable for its emergence ⁽³⁾. 

Now back to the chain-of-causation theory at hand…

This chain-of-causation theory is practical as it potentially offers a way to look inward, explore, and get a deeper understanding of what makes us (and life in general) tick. For starters, take any action (physical, emotional, or mental) you experience and determine the need that causes it. Then take that need and see if you can detect the fear (worry, insecurity, unease, etc.) from which that need arises.

If this is a bit too murky, try taking a simple action like raising a cup of water to your mouth. Then imagine what it would feel like not being able to do that simple task. That would evoke a certain level of insecurity, regret, frustration, etc. This implies that you feel a need to have the freedom to move–raise the cup to your mouth. Beneath that need is the fear (insecurity) of not being able to have the freedom / ability to do that.