Title: What does Maxwell's demon want from life? When information becomes meaningful
Abstract: Szilard's one-molecule engine is operated by a Maxwell's demon attempting to
convert heat to work. It is argued here that the demon's goal must be regarded
as an implicit assumption that should not be taken for granted. Other demons
than the standard one can be constructed depending on their assumed goal. When
the demon is purely mechanical, the goal is instilled in it by its design. When
the demon is regarded as intelligent (Maxwell) and endowed with free will
(Thomson), it is not so clear whence he could acquire a specific goal. A
solution is to subject the demon to evolution by natural selection, which in an
extended form can provide the demon with a genuine goal for which work is
necessary. Assuming the validity of the second law of thermodynamics and of
Landauer's principle (relating information to work), this implies that the
information the demon acquires and uses for operating the engine becomes
meaningful for the demon. Such information, called natural information, applies
to all life and technology, and should be distinguished from the formal
information that can be defined, more arbitrarily, for any system. A similar
natural/formal distinction applies to close associates of information, in
particular entropy, probability, and the second law.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-07-31
Language: en
Type: article
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