Physics and the explanation of life

Abstract

I am a physicist, but the problem on which I wish to present some thoughts is not a problem of physics. It is, at present, a problem of philosophy, and I may well be told ‘ne sutor ultra crepidam’ — the shoe-maker should stick to his last. I do have, however, several excuses for venturing into this difficult field. The first is that, if no solid knowledge is available in a field, it is good if representatives of neighbor sciences put forward the views which appear most natural from their own vantage point. The second reason for my speaking here today is that since I started to think and also to write on the subject, I have received many letters and verbal comments from colleagues, agreeing, on the whole, with my point of view. This means, I hope, that there is some interest in the subject among physicists and some consensus on it. It also means that much of what I will have to say will not be original but must have been conceived, at least in part, before me. My third excuse for putting forward views which do not have the solid foundation which one is used to expect from a physicist is that many others before me have done likewise and my fourth excuse is simply that the subject is of over-whelming interest and I like to speculate about it.