What Is Life? - Molecular Theory of the Living Cell - page 562

Table 16.1 The actions of the principles of supplementarity and complementarity in physics and
biology
Principles Physics Biology

mc 2 : Principle of
energy-matter equivalence
(or mattergy) resulting from
Einstein's special theory of
relativity (Shadowitz 1968).
A

Supplementarity :
C

1. E ¼ 6. Principle of information-life

equivalence (or
liformation ): As the
information density
increases in some physical
systems as a result of the
cosmological e volution ,
life emerges from nonlife.
A

A B

¼ Matter; B ¼ Energy;

(Classical Mechanics)

C Matter/Energy

or Mattergy

¼

Information;
B ¼ Energy or Mattergy;
C ¼ Gnergy

¼

Correspondence principle : 2. Vertical (or spatial)

correspondence principle (?):
As the quantum number
increases, quantum
mechanics reduces to
Newtonian mechanics

7. Horizontal (or temporal)
correspondence principle
(?): As the information
density of physical systems
increases with time, physics
is transformed to biology

or Phys « Bio

Complementarity :
C

3. Wave-particle duality of light
(or quantum objects )

8. Information-energy duality
of gnergons

4. Quantum of action 9. Conformon as the quantum

of life or quantum
of purposive action

AB

5. Stability of atoms relative
to motions of subatomic
particles, ultimately because
of the quantum of action

10. Stability/robustness
of processes in cells relative
to the thermal motions
of intracellular molecules
and ions, ultimately because
of the conformon,
the quantum of life

(Quantum Mechanics)

complementarity and supplementarity (see Sect. 2.3.1 ), he mentioned only the
principle of complementarity in characterizing the difference between physics
and biology. But in effect, he may have utilized the concept of supplementarity
as well without realizing it. My reading of his writings has led me to conclude that
these two principles are important in characterizing the relation between physics
and biology as summarized in Table 16.1 . The table lists two examples of the action
of the supplementarity principle (see Item 1) in Table 16.1 and three examples of
the action of the complementarity principle (see Items (3)-(5)) in physics (see the
first column). In addition, the table contains examples of the action of the principle
of correspondence (see Item (2)) (Morrison 1990). For each example, a biological
counterpart is suggested in the third column, which is largely self-explanatory.
In Table 16.1 , the correspondence principle originally formulated by Bohr is
referred to as the vertical correspondence principle because it connects Newtonian
mechanics and quantum mechanics , which are arranged vertically in the first