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Thank you so very much for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ, and thank you for your encouragements!

Even a human body is a mechanism.. as well all other life forms I know of.. I grew up thinking of life forms as mechanism's.. from a microbe, or carrot to my own body..

This indeed has been the presupposition of modern science since Newton, namely that since physics and chemistry can be understood as a mechanism therefore biology can be fully understood the same way.

The article excerpted at 1120 explains in everyday language why this is not so.

But for the most stubborn among us, Rosen eviscerates that presupposition on pure logical grounds. The first nine chapters of his book, Life Itself, are focused on that very point.

The remainder of his book reveals his solution, a circular model that is oriented to organization as a “thing."

He punctuates his arguments with the observation that a clockwork requires a clockmaker (that is a metaphorical simplification of a profound logical argument concerning efficient and final causes) - and that modern science is loathe to admit such a clockmaker but a mechanistic view of the universe demands one. And that simply “throwing up of the hands” e.g. Vitalism, has long since been rejected by scientists.

All of this I have said to raise one point where Rosen’s book does not explicate his model as I would have liked.

He refers to execution of the circular organizational model as “chasing.” The model transfers what we would call information content, encodes and decodes, processes – much like a standard computer model: input, process, output > input, process, output etc.

He doesn’t get into the chasing in depth, but chasing is best understood by Shannon’s model which is the foundation of “Information Theory.” Information under Shannon is successful communication, it is not the message (data) itself. It is the chasing per se.

In a nutshell, because it is based on organization as a “thing” Rosen’s model is exceedingly illuminating for modeling material biological systems, i.e. the anticipation of need for and execution of maintenance, repair, replication and metabolism, etc. Thus it holds a great opportunity for scientists who work under the principle of “methodological naturalism.”

At the same time, just like Shannon’s model, it is mathematics. It is universal. Therefore it holds for the incorporeal as well, to whatever extent one would care to apply it.

For instance, we Christians know that God’s Name Logos or Word directly reveals that He created all that there is by communicating. Shannon’s model (communications) and Rosen’s (circular chasing or communication is the organization of life itself) are both compatible with that Spiritual knowledge.

"God said" is repeated ten times in Genesis 1.

For the word of the LORD [is] right; and all his works [are done] in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was [done]; he commanded, and it stood fast. – Psalms 33:4-9

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. – John 1:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. – Psalms 19:1-3

As you are wont to say, dear hosepipe, JESUS: You must be born again.

The new Spiritual creature we become, like the physical and soulful creature we were, are created by God's communicating.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. - John 6:63

So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. - Romans 10:17

Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. – John 8:43

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. – I Cor 2:14

And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. - Deuteronomy 29:2-5

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. - Romans 11:8

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. - Matthew 13:9

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. – Matthew 13:10-13

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. – John 10:3-5

And as with the corporeal material life we "inhabit" - the new spiritual creature we become is organized (autonomously) and can be modeled in a circle (Rosen.) We are Spiritually aware, we reflect, anticipate, react, etc. We are alive with Christ in God. (Col 3:3)

Again I aver that the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics (Wigner) is God’s copyright notice on the cosmos.

To God be the glory, not man, never man!