crystals cannot convey novel information. Bonding affinities, to the extent they exist, cannot be used to explain the origin of information. Self-organizing chemical affinities generate highly repetitive “order,” but not information; they create mantras, not messages (Fig. 9.8). What needs explaining is not the origin of order—whether in crystals, swirling tornadoes, or the “eyes” of hurricanes—but the origin of information.26 FIGURE 9.8 The concepts of order, complexity, and specified complexity are illustrated above. This figure shows three qualitatively different types of sequences as
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