Exploring the Idea That Life May Be Fundamentally Computational

Summary

This article explores the deep conceptual link between life and computation, tracing the ideas of Alan Turing and John von Neumann who theorized that the logic of life mirrors the logic of code. It references a 1994 computer simulation where a pixelated machine read instructions, copied them, and self-replicated — a demonstration of von Neumann's earlier predictions about self-reproducing automata. The piece argues that life, at its core, may be fundamentally computational in nature.