Downward Causation
Is it illogical to claim that biological information processing systems can have one-way causality?

The philosopher of mind Jaegwon Kim claims that the physical world is "causally closed," that the mind is epiphenomenal, that every mental event has a corresponding physical event that is the efficient cause of our actions. Mental events are redundant!

A study of the behavior of atoms and molecules in ribosomes in normal cells and in ion channels in neurons shows that semiotic information control flows only downward at the biological/chemical and mental/biological interfaces.

The lower level atoms and molecules are shown to be in thermal equilibrium. Their paths do not contain the information (Gibbs/Boltzmann “molecular order”) that would be needed for lower levels to be “in charge” of the upper levels. The intuitions of the emergentists are confirmed that biology cannot be reduced to chemistry and physics, nor can mind be reduced to the brain/body.

Biosemiotic control has one-way causality.

Ribosomes exercise "one-way" control, organizing molecules that are clearly in thermal equilibrium

Ion pumps pick out ions that are in thermal equilibrium

Two-Stage Model of Free Will Contents Downward Causation (Details)

From Information to Semiosis | U C Berkeley, 19-21 June 2015 | Bob Doyle | The Information Philosopher