My hypothesis is that “life” is a metaphysical quality that allows its possessors (via some currently unexplained mechanism) to modify the results of quantum mechanical operations that lead to different static frames as described in the previous parts of this series.
When I say that it is a metaphysical quality, I mean that it is literally higher than physics, as all movement and change in the apparent world around us depend on this ability of life. Physics cannot explain the passage of time because it is a metaphysical operation, not a physical one.
Different living creatures have different amounts of control over their environment, but they all effect that control by this method.
Human beings are different qualitatively from other known living creatures because they exhibit purposeful action, that is, action intended to produce a more desirable state of affairs (“end”) via a conscious selection of means; this is what is referred to as “free will”. This is a subset of the general ability of living creatures to affect the course of events, although of course a very important one to humans.
Since you have free will, you can do a very simple experiment that will show you how radical this idea is.
Lift your hand, then put it back down.
What could be simpler? Actually, it’s not simple at all.
If you ask the most learned scientists in the world how you did that, the answer (although perhaps not in so many words) is: We don’t know.
Yes, they can explain nerve conduction, firing potentials, and the like, but what they cannot explain is how the whole process begins. That is, how does your intention to hold out your hand start the chain of events that leads to the nerve signals and muscular contractions?
It’s not that no one has a good explanation. It’s that no one has had any explanation. Until now.