Future climates: Markov blankets and active inference in the biosphere. Issue 172 (25th November 2020)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Future climates: Markov blankets and active inference in the biosphere. Issue 172 (25th November 2020)
- Main Title:
- Future climates: Markov blankets and active inference in the biosphere
- Authors:
- Rubin, Sergio
Parr, Thomas
Da Costa, Lancelot
Friston, Karl - Abstract:
- Abstract : We formalize the Gaia hypothesis about the Earth climate system using advances in theoretical biology based on the minimization of variational free energy. This amounts to the claim that non-equilibrium steady-state dynamics—that underwrite our climate—depend on the Earth system possessing a Markov blanket. Our formalization rests on how the metabolic rates of the biosphere (understood as Markov blanket's internal states) change with respect to solar radiation at the Earth's surface (i.e. external states), through the changes in greenhouse and albedo effects (i.e. active states) and ocean-driven global temperature changes (i.e. sensory states). Describing the interaction between the metabolic rates and solar radiation as climatic states—in a Markov blanket—amounts to describing the dynamics of the internal states as actively inferring external states. This underwrites climatic non-equilibrium steady-state through free energy minimization and thus a form of planetary autopoiesis.
- Is Part Of:
- Journal of the Royal Society interface. Volume 17:Issue 172(2020)
- Journal:
- Journal of the Royal Society interface
- Issue:
- Volume 17:Issue 172(2020)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 17, Issue 172 (2020)
- Year:
- 2020
- Volume:
- 17
- Issue:
- 172
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2020-0017-0172-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2020-11-25
- Subjects:
- autopoiesis -- active inference -- free energy minimization -- Earth's climate system -- Gaia hypothesis
Physical sciences -- Research -- Periodicals
Life sciences -- Research -- Periodicals
Interdisciplinary research -- Periodicals
570.5 - Journal URLs:
- https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsif ↗
- DOI:
- 10.1098/rsif.2020.0503 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1742-5689
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library STI - ELD Digital store
- Ingest File:
- 24970.xml