Concept Analysis and Maxwell's Demon

This chapter employs concept analysis for the elaboration of some confusion and misconceptions regarding the relation between information, work, and energy. It begins by noting that while the subjective exists in the mind, it is sometimes confused with the objective that exists in the real world. This occurs in the case of strongly correlated concepts. This phenomenon is defined as coupled concepts.It ends with a critique of the use of Maxwell's Demon in the book by Paul Davies to explain the magic of life.The behavior of inanimate matter is driven by the laws of physics, while that of animate matter involves decision-making, and is information-driven. This includes life at the cellular level, where information is embedded in molecular codes in the DNA molecule.Information is similar to concepts that exist in mind space. Energy and work exist in real space. Thus, information cannot be the same as either. This confusion exemplifies the phenomenon of coupled concepts.Maxwell's Demon cannot exist, as it has to be of molecular dimensions to be able to manipulate molecules, but a macroscopic organism to be able to think. In Davies’ book, the molecules and molecular machines were constrained in their movements as they were coded or ratcheted. The observed phenomena could be explained in terms of these reductions in their degrees of freedom.