An investigation into the origin of autopoiesis

Abstract

Using a glider in the Game of Life cellular automaton as a toy model of minimal persistent individuals, this article explores how questions regarding the origin of life might be approached from the perspective of autopoiesis. Specifically, I examine how the density of gliders evolves over time from random initial conditions and then develop a statistical mechanics of gliders that explains this time evolution in terms of the processes of glider creation, persistence, and destruction that underlie it.