On the Phenomenon of Life

NOTE(new new): Although I have found minor mistakes, the results are still valid to my understanding. I need some time to fix the mistakes. I am at the process of making amendments. I also have found places to expand on and be more rigorous. You may contact me through my website. https://yehancomplex.github.io/My_Website/ NOTE(old): I have found some typos and minor mistakes, I would recommend that anyone serious about my work contact me by visiting my website, https://yehancomplex.github.io/My_Website/ . Also I shall be adding amendments to this work in future. A youtube video is given as supplimentary material. This monograph explores the idea that the universe can be understood as a computational system, and that life can be seen as a kind of program — specifically, a self-replicating and evolving process, similar to Cohen’s theory of computer viruses and von Neumann’s universal constructor. Importantly, this does not claim that the universe is literally a computer. Rather, it reflects the nature of human explanation: all explanations are symbolic, taking the form of strings or structures analogous to code. Using this perspective, we introduce a Generalized Computational Framework, which allows us to consistently model the universe and its processes as computational systems. This framework builds on the work of Turing, von Neumann, Chaitin, and Cohen, and offers a coherent way to address philosophical questions about life and the structure of reality. Feedback and discussion on the plausibility and implications of this computational interpretation are welcome.