[Nebullis]

If the airplane came alive - was self-organizing and reproducing itself with ever increasing diversity and sometimes, complexity - we would be looking for the algorithm whereby it accomplishes it.

In biology, it's called replication.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your post!

In biology, it's called replication.

Indeed, that is one perspective and no doubt the most important for many disciplines - biology, medicine , etc! Notably, these are the more "real world" disciplines.

I’m sure that each discipline may have a different way of looking at the same thing and exploring those differences might be at the root of improving our understanding. For instance, it could be that the quandary I am in has to do with the difference between randomness in algorithmic information theory v statistics. I’m not sure, but I’m confident Doctor Stochastic can help clear it up.

Likewise, you have a different concept of hardware/software than Doctor Stochastic’s (and mine.) To me, the software (algorithm) is the recording and the hardware is the record player. IOW, the DNA is the recording of the algorithm, the organism is the DNA player.

Others could say the software is the music, the hardware is the record. As PatrickHenry might say, that’s a ‘wafer thin’ difference but an important one nevertheless as we look at information theory and molecular biology.