Definition
Dynamic Stability
Dynamic Stability is a property of systems that maintain their form and identity through continuous activity and energy flux, rather than through a static equilibrium. In the context of life, it describes how populations of replicators endure through time by reproducing.
Thermodynamic Context
While static objects (like a stone sculpture) are subject to thermodynamic degradation and entropy, a self-reproducing molecule (like DNA) is antifragile. Its individual instances may be fragile, but its pattern is robust because it is inherently dynamic.
Observation
Darwinian selection is equivalent to the Second Law of Thermodynamics when the notion of stability is expanded to include replicators. A more effective replicator is more “dynamically stable” than a less effective one.
Role in Abiogenesis
The emergence of life can be understood as a statistical process where matter transforms from less stable to more stable forms.
- Thermodynamic Stability: The equilibrium state in the regular chemical world (e.g., rust).
- Dynamic Kinetic Stability: The state of the replicator world, where entities that reproduce are more likely to persist than those that do not.
The transition from a “Turing gas” of random chemical interactions to functional computronium occurs when a set of entities achieves sufficient dynamic stability to initiate an exponential takeoff.