The Operator Hierarchy: Evolution Beyond Genes

www.hypercycle.nl A proper understanding of the relationship between evolution, individuality and levels of biological organization, requires a fundamental approach to the recognition of what is an individual and what is a level of organization. Although many biologists have a tendency to focus exclusively on organisms and their genes as the eternal focal point of evolution, a universal perspective on evolution stretches much broader, including inanimate and animate particles alike and covering a continuous sequence of levels of organization, from physical particles, via organisms to future technical intelligences. In order to rephrase evolution on the basis of a particle hierarchy, the concept of a particle must be clearly defined. Many scientists think of particles as the entities that chemists and physicists investigate, decreasing in size from molecules and atoms to hadrons, quarks and gluons (Close, 1983; Pagels, 1985). Due to this abiotic bias, few regard bacteria as particles, let alone complex organisms such as plants and animals. To reconcile the worlds of physics and biology requires an overarching particle concept that is acceptable to both parties. This need was the reason for introducing a ne