Life, its origin, and its distribution: A perspective from the Conway-Kochen Theorem and the Free Energy Principle

We argue here that the Orgin of Life (OOL) problem is not just a chemistryproblem, but is also, and primarily, a cognitive science problem. When interpretedthrough the lens of the Conway-Kochen theorem and the Free Energy Principle, con-temporary physics characterizes all complex dynamical systems that persist throughtime as Bayesian agents. If all persistent systems are to some – perhaps only minimal– extent cognitive, are all persistent systems to some extent alive, or are living sys-tems only a subset of cognitive systems? We argue that no bright line can be drawn,and we re-assess, from this perspective, the Fermi paradox and the Drake equation.We conclude that improving our abilities to recognize and communicate with diverseintelligences in diverse embodiments, whether based on familiar biochemistry or not,will either resolve or obviate the OOL problem.