A Framework for Investigating Rules of Life Across Disciplines

Abstract

Clearly and usefully defning the Rules of Life has long been an attractive yet elusive prospect for biologists. Life persists because requirements for existence and successful transmission of hereditary information are met. These requirements are met through mechanisms adopted by organisms, which produce solutions to environmentally imposed constraints on life. Yet, constraints and their suites of potential solutions are typically context-specifc, operating at specifc levels of organization, or holons, and having cascading effects across multiple levels, or the holarchy. We explore the idea that the interaction of constraints, mechanisms, and requirements within and across levels of organization may produce rules of life that can be productively defned. Although we stop short of listing specifc rules, we provide a conceptual framework within which progress towards identifying rules might be made.