Homeostasis and zero energy ontology

Homeostasis means that system is able to preserve its flow equilibrium under changing conditions. This involves many-layered hierarchies of pairs of control signals with opposite effects so that the system stays in equilibrium. For instance, we could not stand without this control system as one can easily check by using non-living test body! For instance, in bio-chemical homeostasis the ratios of concentrations remain constant. It is not at all clear whether ordinary chemistry can explain homeostasis.

In zero energy ontology (ZEO) one can imagine very fundamental mechanism of homeostasis.

1. Zero energy states are pairs of ordinary 3-D states with members located at opposite boundaries of causal diamond (CD). Their total quantum numbers are opposite, which is only a manner to say that conservation laws hold true. The space-time surfaces connecting the 3-surfaces are preferred extremals of the action principle.
   

   In quantum field theory this picture can be seen only as a book keeping trick and one assumes that space-time continues beyond causal diamond. There is however no need for this in TGD framework although it is natural to assume that there is some largest CD beyond which space-time surfaces do not continue. CDs form a hierarchy and sub-CDs of this CD can be connected by minimal surfaces, which are analogs of external particles. One obtains networks analogs to twistor Grassmannian diagrams.
   
   

2. Conscious entities (selves) correspond in ZEO to a sequences of state function reductions having interpretation as weak measurements, "small" state function reductions. In given weak measurement the members of the zero energy state at the passive boundary of CD are not affected: this is essentially Zeno effect associated with repeated measurements in ordinary quantum theory. The members of the state pairs at the active boundary of CD change and also the temporal distance between the tips of CD increases: this assigns a clock time to the experienced flow of time as sequence of state function reductions.
   

   Eventually it becomes impossible to find observables, whose measurement would leave the passive parts of the zero energy state invariant. First "big" state function reduction changing the roles of active and passive boundaries of CD takes place and time begins to run in opposite direction since the formerly passive boundary recedes away from the formerly active boundary which is now stationary. Self dies and re-incarnates with an opposite arrow of time. In TGD biology these two time-reversed selves are proposed to correspond to motor actions and sensory perceptions.
   

   Already Fantappie realized that two arrows of time seem to be present in living matter (consider only spontaneous assembly of bio-molecules as decay in opposite direction) and introduced the notion of syntropy as time-reversed entropy. For an observer with given arrow of time, a system with opposite arrow of time seems to break the second law. Temperature and concentration gradients develop, system self-organizes.
   
   

3. These two quantal time evolutions with opposite arrows of time look very much like competing control signals in homeostasis. The 4-D conscious entities corresponding to control signals would have finite lifetime so that in their ensemble the effects of the signals with opposite arrows of time tend to compensate. This would give rise to homeostasis.
   
   

See the article Getting philosophical: some comments about the problems of physics, neuroscience, and biology or the chapter Quantum Mind, Magnetic Body, and Biological Body.

For a summary of earlier postings see Latest progress in TGD.

Articles and other material related to TGD.