Technikatörténeti szemle 25. (2001-02)
Papers of the Third International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Budapest, 2–4 July, 1999) – First Part - Inczédy János: The role and responsibility of scientists influencing the wordl; past, present and future
The life on the earth According to the present status of the natural sciences, including the very recent results in modern physical, chemical, biological, atmospheric, cosmic studies, the Earth behaves as a very cleverly smoothly and effectively self regulated giant and composite living system, having an extremely complicated fine structure of an immense number of interrelated contributing factors.These factors include external cosmic influences, as well as all living organisms, like bacteria, insects, plants, animals etc. and also man. 6 One of the most fundamental law of nature is its tendency for diversity. Thanks to this law we may be delighted to see the spectacles of highly coloured meadows at spring, or we can recognise differences between two puppies even if they are twins. Ven/ recently it has been found 7 , that there are detectable differences not only between individual living organisms of identical origin (plants or animals), but also between the individual enzyme molecules produced in nature. The differences between the molecules concerning life time and efficiency were found to be significant. On the other hand, in spite of the high diversity of life, it is hardly understandable, but highly admirable, that the globe - which is influenced by an immense number of different factors, - keeps the most important global parameters (pressure, chemical composition, temperature etc. of the atmosphere, the compositions of the sea- and river water etc.), far from thermodynamic equilibrium, at a sound stationary level, practically unchanged, since the beginning of life on Earth (i..e. since ca. 3,5 billion years). The values are fluctuating in a ven/ narrow range, though any very short or very small departure could make the Earth devoid of all living organisms. Beside the macro level Gaia - theory, there are many new, molecular level investigations concerning the origin of life, and on the inherent information sources necessary for controlling and sustaining life. Concerning the first point it was concluded that the old concept for the origin of life by simple chemical evolution cannot be accepted. The coded information carrying DNA molecules, having huge amount of configuration entropy, could not be produced spontaneously by chance within the given time span 8 . Concerning the second point, it was demonstrated that beside matter and energy (which are equivalents according to Einstein), the information represents the third fundamental concept, which cannot be simply derived from the former two 9 . The materialistic view does not allow the implantation of the information from external, non material source. According to the holistic, or idealistic philosophy however, it can be assumed, that the input of information is provided by the existing Lord of the Universe, with his Almighty Intelligence. In the very first sentence of the Gospel, by John 10 stands as follows: "In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God".
