Problems just as open as those found in physicsand astronomy are now met also in biology.
V. L. Ginsburg questionshimself: "... everything that is biological can be reduced
to physics, to molecular representations, or is it not so ? Surelyit is impossible to answer such
questions apriori"14.
It is true that life starts at the level of some molecular aggregateswithin a cell, but the
question arose about when and why a molecularaggregate becomes alive. Is present day physics
sufficient toexplain the alive, or is it necessary to have a new physics forthis ?
It seems that the profound problems of scienceare open to such an extend that we have to
reconsider our bearingsof scientific thinking. We should not forget, as Leon Brillionobserved,
that "our way of thinking and our definitions isso far based on mechanics; we use its
language to describe theresults of our experiments, since all these experiments are donewith
macroscopical instrumentation"15.
What new elements can we offer to our thinkingframework ? The thing that intervenes entirely new
is the informationalaspects of matter. One could put the problem of mixing them togetherwith the
traditional physical science. In fact we do not knowif it will ever become, but there are reasons
to believe thatthis will possibly happen. Therefore, before trying such scientificapproaches one
needs a philosophical projection into this virginland, even if one risks to give a rather
haphazard vision.
Another new element one should consider fora wide general framework of scientific thinking is that
of psychologicaleffects. Even if these aspects can so far be examined only philosophically,
they are still worth considering, especially those that requirea new material support which could
not be offered by what we knowso far in science.
The present stage of scientific developmentreopens acutely the question of existence and
consciousness.
The question that could be raised in the casein which there were some deep informational aspects
in matter(e.g. those determining the natural laws in the universe) wouldbe that of stability of
these informations. Statics within theframework of stability of such informations does not mean
fixityfor ever. Stability in the sense we mentioned implies fixed informations,statical to a
large extend, but this does not mean that they cannotbe modified in a certain way. This point of
view is flexible sincemodifications can appear due to an internal cause for change,or it could be
generated by devices producing such modifications.Provided we do not go to mechanically splitting
the matter tothe infinity we will inevitably reach ultimate principles. Oneof these principles
could represent the tendency towards totalequilibrium; but this would be impossible to be reached
on overallscale due to some informational principles no doubt inscribedinto the matter. Such
principles would lay at basis of movementand would be themselves subjected to certain movements.
To thisthinking based on mechanical model and concepts we shall haveto add new ideas referring to
information; thus our image aboutthe world will be much more so if the information is proven to
be more profound than it appears today. In this latter case thequestion arises about how should
we represent the profound information.Is it essentially a mathematical information (this latter
ideais found with many scientists).
Besides this, a world completely describedby formal mathematics would be an automaton. But if it
is notcompletely describable through mathematics then through what else? If we think of logics
or language then the things will not change,no essential differences from mathematics will appear
if we regardthese domains formally. Only the things that give sense, meaning,from nonformal
sources, could be the second principle to ensurethe dialectics of information itself.
We should not forget that also there is aformal semantics. In the systems with artificial
intelligencea formal semantics is effectively designed and constructed, i.e.through the way data
is structured corresponding to a certainsymbolic representation of reality. Linguistics is trying
to establisha formal semantics of the natural language, a thing that to acertain extent is
possible. Among the many searches of the contemporarylinguistics we mention that there is a
variant that is tryingto connect the meaning of a statement to its logical truth, toits logical
form; however, even this has eventually to look forelementary semantic components that
are outside the linguisticdomain. This shows that the sphere of formal semantics existsbut it
cannot be closed, it must have somewhere an opening towardsa more living reality. Anyway, this is
the destiny of all logicalsystems since no logical system can be completely closed. Forthis
reason we cannot find in principle a closed semantics. Thesemantics built into systems with
artificial intelligence is designedby man, i.e. it has an external source. But what are the
possiblesemantic sources of the information existing in the depths ofthe existence ?
A purely formal semantics of the deep informationalstructures would not be understandable.
Then what type of livingsemantics could sustain them ? What type of physico-phenomenologicalstate
is attached to the symbol or is its support ? If nonformalroots to the semantics were there, then
the world would not becompletely mathematical, or logical, or linguistical. Of courseit would be
necessary for the science to clarify the linguisticalsemantics, and this requires in fact a
profound knowledge of brainfunctioning, a knowledge that we do not have today. Finding outabout
the functioning of a complex device like the brain couldbring us a lot of surprises, could cast a
new light about theconnections between macrocosms and the depths of the materialworld and
existence. Nothing is impossible from this point ofview, although a concrete physical model
could not be built easilyso far.
It is such a thing that we are trying to doin the present volume. Obviously, everything is only
a hypothesis,even if the author let himself be taken away by opinions thatsound like convictions.
Even from the philosophical point of view,this work is only a preliminary sketch that contains
some crudeideas generated by own internal debating, however under the influenceof the
professional work, and also sprung from that call thatevery human has for searching for a bit
of what we call the Universe.The man will not be able to go forward in knowledge, will not
obtain knowledge unless he searches for it with the philosophicalmind too. But in order to reach
beyond the present day frontierof knowledge he has to revise his cognitive framework. To this
purpose he has to ask himself the question of to what degree themechanical images are affecting
his thinking when he is directingit towards the depths of the existence, to what extend the
informationalimage can be of help to him and how he can use the refinementand the complexity
of today's science to find the source of simplerunderstanding of the depths using his own mental
structures.
It is possible that the notion of informationis not sufficient besides what we know presently,
and that new,more profound things are needed. The author of this work is presentingsome
philosophical ideas towards such searches and debates, withoutproposing any concrete scientifical
models. Constructing modelsthat would constitute scientific hypothesis would require a lengthier
supplementary effort. The sure steps of science might in the futureproceed the direction of these
philosophical images (even partially)or they could scatter them.
A new philosophical model of the materialworld raises first of all the problem of modifying our
cognitiveframe of mind, and this is difficult to build in new directions.But since the
old framework proves itself insufficient we haveno other way but to search. And if a new
philosophical model couldoffer more wisdom and justification for the human dignity andfor the
universal reasoning for construction and creation, thenit could have a larger balancing role
for the psychic and sociallife. The thinking and through it the science and the philosophy
have remained full of hope for mankind. But this can be achievedonly through work, technology,
economics, social system and civilization.
*
* *
The present work is the result of some oldersearches and we started writing it in 1972.
I would like to mention that the requirementfor "in depth approach" in this vision
regarding theworld was also expressed by Constantin
Borgeanu16 who also criticizes the limitative,
restrictive conception thatwas at that time maintained regarding this approach.
I would like to thank the Romanian philosopherswho read the manuscript of this work for their
patience and understandingtowards ideas that are expressed from an area not in the domain
of professional philosophy, for their constructive remarks, andespecially for their encouragement
in publishing it.
Bucharest, 1991The AUTHOR
Forewordvii