Ideas percolate. Through natural selection, the best ones survive — Andew Lo
The primary characteristics of a biological entity are a will to survive and reproduce. Without these characteristics, the lineage of a particular form would go extinct and we would not be talking about it.
Rene Descartes posited the philosophical assertion, “I think, therefore I am” underscoring the necessity of cognition for the notion of self. In a similar vein, one might assert, “I possess the instinct to survive and reproduce, therefore I am a biological form.” This assertion implies that the existence of these instincts in a form affirms that it is biology. These instincts are essential for the continued existence of biology over generations.
Where might the origins of these two traits — survival and reproduction — for biological entities might come from? We could go back to the beginnings of biology to the self-replicating molecules, and ponder whether the concepts of survival and reproduction were inherent to them also.
By definition, a self-replicating molecule must possess one of the two traits — reproduction (after all, it is self-replicating). Survival, however, is not merely about the capacity to replicate, it also encompasses the ability to compete effectively against its peers in the environment it is in. Should a self-replicating molecule lack the ability to compete for resources, it would left behind . Thus, in the absence of this survival instinct to compete, and do so effectively, the molecule’s existence would indeed be short-lived.
If, during this process a life form emerged declaring its lack of need for either survival or reproduction instincts, it was told by others ‘c’est la vie’ or ‘see you later, alligator,’ as they continued on their survival and reproductive journey and were happy to see one less molecule to compete against.
The instinct for survival and reproduction in an environment with limited energy also gave rise to another fundamental principle that drives biological entities. This is the principle for natural selection. The logic for this inevitability goes as follows.
To compete effectively in a resource-constrained environment, a biological entity must possess traits that enables it to secure available resources more efficiently than its peers. This allows it to be better fit for survival and reproduction, and thereby, to produce more offspring. Over generations, this advantageous trait becomes increasingly prevalent in the future population, leading to the emergence of a new species.
Consequently, the instinctive ability of biological entities to survive and reproduce, coupled with the necessity to compete in an energy-limited environment, culminates in the process of natural selection shaping subsequent evolution.
The process of natural selection, hence, is an inevitability for self-replicating forms evolving and competing for resources in an resource limited environment.
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